How procedural experiences shape citizens' perceptions of and orientations toward legal institutions: evidence from a household survey in Bangladesh

Abstract

Integrating theories and research on procedural justice and policy design, this article provides insight about how institutional context and experiences shape citizens' perceptions about procedural fairness and trust and confidence in legal institutions. We address this question with data collected through a household survey in Bangladesh. The analysis shows that citizens' experiences with legal institutions vary across four separate justice venues. We find that openness of decision processes, perceived competency of the decision maker, and whether citizens needed to pay a bribe to obtain legal service affect procedural fairness perceptions. Moreover, the results show that perceptions of procedural fairness relate positively with citizens’ willingness to return to that justice institution but not with complying with authorities. Implications for research on effective governance are discussed.