This article discusses the possibilities of reconciliation between justice and legitimacy in contemporary democracies. Liberal-democratic states tend to keep a particular commitment to the issue of legitimacy as a way of dealing with the plurality and regulating the social context, since consensus is achieved by means of particular processes and formal rites. Nevertheless, the legitimacy of a decision does not suppose to be based on any trait of justice, as in fact it is observed that the liberalism is rather concerned about the guarantee of equality in freedom than about ensuring effective equality between individuals. The article analyses the issue by revisiting three macro theoretical approaches, namely liberalism, deliberative democracy and political representation.
Justice; Legitimacy; Recognition; Political participation