Procedural Fairness and the Willingness to Accept Inequality∗
نویسندگان
چکیده
The typical form of redistribution investigated in the lab resembles progressive redistribution in which money is transferred from rich to poor. There are, however, many governmental policies that involve regressive redistribution from poor to rich. Examples range from the TARP in the US to R&D subsidies for corporations and a variety of benefits given to firms in developing countries to encourage growth. Our question concerns the circumstances under which disadvantaged individuals would be willing to support this form of redistribution. We investigate this question by conducting experiments that measure willingness to support regressive transfers in which we vary the mechanism used to assign the roles. Mechanisms include random chance, meritocracy and two other mechanisms intended to appear arbitrary and unfair. Our findings generate doubt about commonly held views concerning how individuals view the fairness of certain procedures. JEL Codes: C90, D61, D63, O15, O40
منابع مشابه
Reconsidering the Role of Procedures for Decision Acceptance
Procedural fairness theory posits that the way in which authoritative decisions are made strongly impacts people’s willingness to accept them. This article challenges this claim by contending that democratic governments can achieve little in terms of acceptance of policy decisions by the procedural means at their disposal. Instead, outcome favorability is the dominant determinant of decision ac...
متن کاملBeyond Procedural Equity and Reciprocity - An Experimental Study -
Research on individual concerns about procedural fairness has focussed on two aspects so far. First, on whether the mechanism determining an allocation matters when judging fairness, and second, on whether players’ intentions do so. This paper inquires to what extent procedural fairness can be defined in terms of reciprocity, that is, to which extent the fairness of a procedure may be expressed...
متن کاملThe Effect of Personality Traits and Equity Sensitivity on the Employees’ Fairness Perception in the Lebanese Pharmaceutical Field
The pharmaceutical sector plays a fundamental role in supporting the economic development of a country. The performance of this sector is influenced by employees’ performance, which can be affected by the way employees perceive fairness at their workplace. Fairness perception can be affected by the equity sensitivity type and the personality traits of employees. The Lebanese context lacks studi...
متن کاملIdentifying international assignees at risk for premature departure: the interactive effect of outcome favorability and procedural fairness.
Two studies examined factors that predict expatriate managers' tendencies to think seriously about departing prematurely from their international assignments. Previous research (conducted outside of the expatriate context) has shown that individuals' willingness to stay with or leave their positions is an interactive function of outcome favorability and procedural fairness. A conceptually analo...
متن کامل