The Impact of Economic Freedom on State Legitimacy

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XXI

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2. Introduction

   • Christoph Michael Hindermann

   Pages 1-5

3. The Concept of Legitimacy

   • Christoph Michael Hindermann

   Pages 7-29

4. Legitimacy and its Measurement: A Literature Overview

   • Christoph Michael Hindermann

   Pages 31-62

5. The Determinants of Legitimacy: Concepts and Literature Overview

   • Christoph Michael Hindermann

   Pages 63-96

6. The Determinants of Legitimacy: A Basic Model

   • Christoph Michael Hindermann

   Pages 97-140

7. Economic Freedom and Legitimacy

   • Christoph Michael Hindermann

   Pages 141-204

8. Final Summary and Conclusion

   • Christoph Michael Hindermann

   Pages 205-210

9. Back Matter

   Pages 211-269

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Christoph Michael Hindermann uses a statistical approach to analyze the impact of economic freedom on state legitimacy. Based on multiple regression models, the author not only extracts the determinants of legitimacy but also shows that rule of law is the most important area of economic freedom for legitimacy. In addition, the results also indicate that democracies are not necessarily more legitimate than autocracies and that wealthier countries are, ceteris paribus, perceived as less legitimate. Due to the strong quantitative approach, this thesis contributes not only to the political theory of liberalism and to the field of institutional economics but also enriches the debate on how a legitimate state ought to be.

• Fritz Scharpf
• Regressions
• Bayesian Model Averaging
• Friedrich August von Hayek
• Input, Output und Throughput Legitimacy
• Determinants of Legitimacy
• Governance

• Staatswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Universität Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany

  Christoph Michael Hindermann

Christoph M. Hindermann is research associate at the institute of institutional economics and economic policy at the University of Erfurt.

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