Legitymizacja władzy a sprawiedliwość proceduralna
Procedural Justice and the Legitimacy of Power

Summary/Abstract: In recent years, social researchers (as well as public authorities and private companies) have had a renewed interest in the factors fostering the legitimacy of the socio-political system, as well as the legitimacy of diverse institutions and particular decisions. This increased interest results, among other things, from processes of democratization that have made the previous sources of authority—for instance, legal ones—increasingly insufficient to justify the wielding of power. Decision-makers have been noticing with increasing clarity that the greater the perceived legitimacy of their power, the greater is the tendency of others to accept their decisions (and the lower the costs arising from insubordination). The article describes the latest empirical findings, with particular consideration of the significance of so-called procedural justice for the legitimation of power. This includes the feeling of persons subject to decisions that the decision-making process is comprehensible and that the decision-maker (authority) is impartial, treats them with respect, and assures them of the opportunity to present their own position.

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