Gobierno de las leyes y/o gobierno de los ciudadanos. ¿Hay compatibilidad entre republicanismo y democracia liberal?

Abstract

The paper aims to discuss the renaissance of the republican tradition in the last years - particularly thanks to authors like Quentin Skinner, Maurizio Viroli and Philip Pettit. The paper takes into account the main elements of this tradition, i.e.: (1) the concept of republic itself, (2) the central role of civic virtues, (3) the republican concept of liberty, (4) the idea of the rule of law. Firstly, these four elements will be shortly analyzed, while some historical and theoretical problems will be emphasized. Then, the position of republican authors (both classical and contemporary ones) will be compared to the liberal-democratic tradition, which constitutes the main aim of their critics. Finally, a further tradition (that neorepublicans leave -curiously enough- aside) will be introduced: constitutionalism.