Is authority fungible? Legitimacy, domain congruence, and the limits of power in Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6230156 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kylie Baldwin (0000-0001-7256-0312, Political Science and Global Affairs, Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA), Kate Baldwin, Kristen Kao (0000-0001-5566-040X, Political Science, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden, corresponding author), Ellen Lust (0000-0001-9436-462X, Political Science, University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 314-329 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0092-5853 • E-ISSN: 1540-5907 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ajps.12837 |
| OpenAlex | W4392285650 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 47 |
Scholars increasingly recognize the plurality of leaders who exercise de facto authority in governing communities. But what limits different leaders’ power to organize distinct types of collective action beyond the law? We contend that leaders’ influence varies by activity, depending on the degree to which the activity matches the leaders’ geographic scope and field of expertise (“domain congruence”). Employing conjoint endorsement experiments in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia, we test whether domain congruence predicts citizens’ willingness to comply with leader requests across different activities and examine the mechanisms that explain its importance. We find limits on leaders’ authority, that the concept of domain congruence helps predict the activities over which leaders have the greatest influence, and that leaders’ domain legitimacy may underpin the relationship between domain congruence and authority
Congruence (geometry · De facto · Domain (mathematical analysis · Legitimacy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Law · Mathematics · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |