olefoo mised two issues two issues - lawlessness and illegitimacy. Legitimacy in political science just refers to the public acceptance of authority (and the pe

olefoo mised two issues two issues - lawlessness and illegitimacy. Legitimacy in political science just refers to the public acceptance of authority (and the perception that everyone else accepts it too). In the US, that legitimacy happens to be tied to the belief that the authorities are bound by rules. Loss of legitimacy is a very serious issue for any political/legal system, but of course sometimes it doesn't lead to the collapse of the system, but rather a search for a new means to legitimate the old system - for example, the PRC's adoption of economic success as the basis of legitimacy rather than Communist ideology.