Internal legitimacy and governance in the absence of recognition: The cases of the Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics.”

Internal legitimacy and governance in the absence of recognition: The cases of the Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics.”

This article examines the strategies used by the self-proclaimed governments of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR) and the “Luhansk People’s Republic” (LPR) in achieving internal legitimacy. It specifically highlights the attempts of the two regimes to use direct democracy and the provision of public goods in eastern Ukraine. The article advances the argument in support of the idea that it is possible to attain legitimacy in the absence of external recognition and sovereignty. The people in the self-proclaimed “people’s republics” in the Donbas express the sense of abandonment by the government in Kyiv as they are largely isolated from the rest of Ukraine. The author explores the ability of the two de facto states to govern when it comes to the provision of basic public goods and services for the residents of the DPR and the LPR. Finally, the author discusses the prospects for reintegrating the Donbas by the Ukrainian government.

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Kasianenko, N. (2019). Internal legitimacy and governance in the absence of recognition: The cases of the Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics.” Ideology and Politics, 1(12), 116–130.