ABSTRACT
This chapter develops a normative argument for procedural justice that explains why social institutions and their representatives are morally obliged to treat citizens in a procedurally just manner. In developing this argument, the chapter engages with recent work in normative political philosophy on relational equality, Ceva’s interactive theory of justice, and feminist analysis of the relational and emotional dimensions of respect and self-respect. The chapter aims to demonstrate that the philosophical literature dovetails with and gives normative substance to the findings from the empirical research on procedural justice, especially citizens’ expectations that they should be treated fairly and with respect by institutions and their representatives. It therefore aims to show why institutions that satisfy citizens’ expectations for fair and respectful treatment will count not only as descriptively but also as normatively legitimate.
