Choice of a Distribution Principle: Crosscultural Evidence on the Effects of Resources

Abstract

Researchers concerned with resource allocation and distributive justice have paid little attention to the nature of the allocated resource, per se, as a determinant of the criterion according to which distribution takes place. Recently, six studies carried out in Germany, Sweden and the United States have demonstrated the effects of different types of resources upon preference for one of the following three criteria of distribution : contribution, need and equality. As the symbolic meaning of a given resource may vary with the situation in which it is allocated, the influence of different social contexts was studied as well. The findings were briefly described and compared. Expected relationships among resource class, social context and distribution rule were examined in the light of cognitive-developmental considerations and by way of integrating justice theory and resource theory. Finally, it was suggested that the influence of resources on the choice of a criterion may extend to the rewards and punishments which are often associated with the act of distribution.