Social Justice: Theory and Practice?

Event details :

BETA is a partner of the Gilles Gaston Granger Center (UMR 7304) – Aix-Marseille University, which will organize the conference “Social Justice: Theory and Practice?”, on September 10 and 11, 2026, in Aix-en-Provence.

Organization:
Herrade Igersheim, BETA, University of Strasbourg
Feriel Kandil, CGGG, Aix-Marseille University
Christophe Salvat, CGGG, Aix-Marseille University

CALL FOR PAPERS

Présentation:
Contemporary theories of social justice emerged in the 1970s, in the wake of John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. Often referred to as “post-Rawlsian” or “non-welfarist” theories, they seek above all to define what a just society must equalize among its members—the equalizandum—and to translate these normative principles, derived from moral and political philosophy, into public policy recommendations. They have fueled public debate on equal opportunity, redistribution, universal access to health care and education, and well-being. They have also inspired extensive research across the humanities and social sciences, not only on issues of distribution and redistribution, but also on themes such as relational justice, intergenerational justice, climate and environmental justice, political justice, and so on. The field of social justice thus illustrates the importance of dialogue between disciplines. However, this diversity can give the impression of a fragmented landscape, divided between abstract theoretical work and empirical analyses with more limited scope. But is this opposition so clear-cut? Criticisms vary. Some criticize theories of justice for being out of touch with reality on the ground; others see them as an ideological resource for activist movements.  In any case, the tension between description and prescription—between factual judgments and value judgments—remains central when it comes to defining what is just and unjust.

These questions have been the subject of debate among philosophers and economists since the 1970s, initiated in particular by Rawls, Sen, Arrow, and Kolm. Today, these debates continue. Economists have long presented their formalized tools as bridges between theory and practice; they now add the methods of experimental economics to these. For their part, theories of justice aim to be less abstract: they rely more on history, statistics and, more broadly, on empirical analyses from the social sciences, as evidenced by theories of recognition or care. Thus, even if they do not directly dictate public policy, contemporary theories of justice offer a common language, normative criteria, and analytical tools that influence debates on equality, rights, and solidarity. But what is their real impact on decisions regarding redistribution, the fight against inequality, poverty, and discrimination? Faced with the crises and challenges of democratic societies, it is useful to critically reexamine the ambition of these theories, namely to link a diagnosis of lived reality to a prescriptive discourse. Is the link between philosophical and economic theories of justice now recognized for its true importance? Are these theories really heard in public debate? Do they

These conference aims both to trace the history of these theories, from their emergence to the present day, and to provide a critical assessment of their contributions and limitations. In particular, we will examine their ability to establish a genuine interdisciplinary dialogue between philosophy, economics, and the social sciences.

The speakers participating in these conferences will focus in particular on the following topics:

• Equality of what? Where do we stand?
• The cross-influence of philosophy and mathematics on theories of social justice
• The role of experimentation in the development of a theory of justice
• The articulation of the positive and the normative through the notion of fundamental needs
• Recognition and redistribution
• The relationship between equal opportunities and equal outcomes
• The historical relationship between scholars, experts, and politicians in the development of mechanisms to combat injustice
• Social justice and equal political influence
• Social justice and global justice
• Intergenerational justice
• Prioritarism and its developments
• Fiscal justice and redistribution
• Social justice and vulnerability

Proposals for papers, in French, should take the form of a detailed abstract of two to three pages.

They must be sent by January 20, 2026, to:
igersheim@unistra.fr
feriel.kandil@univ-amu.fr
christophe.salvat@univ-amu.fr

Responses will be given by March 15 at the latest.

A special issue of Cahiers d’Économie Politique is planned following the conference (publication scheduled for summer 2027).