Relational Justice as Virtuous Circle

The idea of relational justice, which connects the world of Law with the relational turn of Sociology, of Pierpaolo Donati, while incorporating the economic notion of reciprocity of Luigino Bruni, attempts to analyze the legal reality based on three elements, typical of an interdisciplinary relational approach: institutionality, reciprocity and sociality. Therefore, the book Le nuove virtu del mercato nell'era dei beni comuni (Bruni, 2012) is a unique opportunity to present relational justice, specifying its meaning, in connection with the idea of virtue and, more specifically, with good faith. This study refers, then, to relational justice, as a particular category of justice, as a present - or absent - feature in the legal relationship, and as an explanation for the closing of the virtuous circle of justice (or, conversely, the vicious circle of injustice) in the relationship.