The work of Tyler and others has proven that trust and legitimacy of institutions is a function of both effectiveness (output-legitimacy) and the fairness of procedures institutions use. Procedural fairness is argued to be important because it is a signal whether the public good is secured or contingent interests guide institutions. That is, the concept of legitimacy implies that the general interest is somehow promoted.
What are the relevant norms of procedural fairness for the construction of legitimacy? Do they vary according to political cultures? How do they relate to output-legitimacy variables? Those and similar questions are very important if we want to understand the dynamic of institutional trust.
The paper will overview the literature on legitimacy, institutional trust and institutional effectiveness. It will also present the findings of an empirical research conducted in Hungary. The survey research aimed at identifying the underlying factors of trust towards justice institutions, like the police and courts.
