Pregledni rad
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.63.1.7
Justice in the City
Nebojša Zelić
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Filozofski fakultet u Rijeci, Odsjek za filozofiju, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Today, more than half of the world's population lives in cities. This alone suggests
that political philosophy, particularly theories of justice, should pay more attention to cities
than it has hitherto. Following Wolff and de-Shalit (2024), we can list the main characteristics
of the city: institutional authority over a territory and limited powers; high population density
and plurality in the respective territory; a cultural-political identity distinct from national
identity, and comprehensive opportunities needed to foster creativity and different ways of
life. Due to all these characteristics, theories of justice designed for the state cannot simply be
applied to the city.
In this paper, I will focus on two very influential theories of egalitarian justice and attempt to
determine how they can be adapted to the specific characteristics of the city. The first theory
is John Rawls’s justice as fairness, which includes the difference principle stating that economic
and social inequalities are justified only if they maximize the benefit for the least advantaged
compared to alternative arrangements. As this principle primarily concerns income and
wealth, it is difficult to apply to the city because the distribution of income and wealth chiefly
depends on the policies and laws of the state. Still, the city is responsible for providing many
public services and distributing public goods. The difference principle needs to be modified
to reflect the view that the situation of the least advantaged is not improved only through the
distribution of material goods, but also the quality and accessibility of public services.
The second theory is Martha Nussbaum’s approach, based not on goods but on capabilities.
In this case, justice requires the development of various capabilities affecting the well-being of
city residents. In this context, Nussbaum’s capability for affiliation is particularly important.
At the city level, it involves a sense of place, the feeling that people can cultivate their various
potentials in the city. The city is a more cohesive community than the state; due to higher
population density, other people’s actions affect our everyday lives much more directly. The
sense of belonging in the city, as the sense of our place, is different from the sense of belonging
in the country and requires different city policies toward both space and public services.
Ključne riječi
justice; city; egalitarianism; capabilities; public services; virtues
Hrčak ID:
336363
URI
Datum izdavanja:
9.10.2025.
Posjeta: 309 *