Equality, equity or need? Public opinion towards distributive justice in the changing welfare state

Contemporary Western societies are characterized by a de-structuring of the social contract of organized modernity. This brings along renewed discussions on distributive justice, i.e. how the burdens and benefits of our major institutions and social arrangements can be distributed fairly. Three principles of distributive justice are distinguished: (1) equity: distribution dependent on contributions; (2) equality: the same access to social welfare for all citizens; (3) need: selective concern to citizens highest in need. Although contemporary societal conflicts are essentially rooted in these principles, a limited body of research has tapped into public opinion on distributive justice.

My doctoral project aims to contribute to the literature by providing insight into citizens’ distributive justice preferences through achieving three objectives:

1. Conceptualize and investigate distributive justice preferences through a domain-specific and multi-layered approach.

2. Investigate the roots of distributive justice preferences by identifying individual determinants as well as macro-level explanations.

3. Study the consequences of distributive justice preferences for crucial policy discussions, such as activation policies and basic income policies.