Convincing State-Builders? Disaggregating International Legitimacy in Abkhazia

This study investigates de facto states’ internal legitimacy—people’s confidence in the entity itself, the regime, and institutions.  Using original data from a 2010 survey in Abkhazia, we operationalize this using respondent perceptions of security, welfare, and democracy. Our findings suggest that internal legitimacy is shaped by the key Weberian state-building function of monopoly of the legitimate use of force, as well as these entities’ ability to fulfill other aspects of the social contract.