Democracy, and more in particular the way its legitimacy is organized, is constantly changing. This is especially true in federal political systems, which are characterized by trends of pooling of sovereignty as well as growing decentralization. Citizens of those polities are represented at the overarching level as members of the overarching community (federal representation) and as members of the subnational community (sub-federal representation). Citizens often feel part of both communities, but what is the effect on the perceived democratic legitimacy? This paper looks at the role collective identity plays in this story. Does collective identity influence the perceived democratic legitimacy of such political systems? And what about other characteristics of the political system, such as the degree of diversity within a political system or the degree of sub-federal representation? Using fsQCA this paper empirically analyses the role of these factors in the perceived democratic legitimacy of 15 federal polities.
