Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Self-Legitimacy and the Police The way police interact with the public is central to the legitimacy of the police institution. If their treatment is perceived as fair and respectful, citizens are more likely to accept police decisions, cooperate, and recognize the legitimacy of the police. What makes police officers themselves feel confident and worthy of the moral right to exercise their authority (self-legitimacy) is also a focus of this study. Based on a review of the literature, we seek to assess the predictors and impacts of self-legitimacy among police forces in different countries and to present reflections that contribute to the debate in the Brazilian context.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204169776