Distributive Justice: Investigating the Impact of Resource Focus and Resource Valence

Distributive justice research is inherently concerned with the fairness of resource allocation decisions. We conducted a quantitative review of the literature (study 1) and a policy capturing study (study 2) to advance understanding of the effects of distributive justice across different resource foci. Based on 261 studies (295 independent samples), study 1 suggests that the effects of distributive justice are generally comparable across different exchange resources (e.g., pay, evaluation, job change). However, the number of studies that examined a specific resource focus was very small (k ≤ 5 in most cases), and most studies have left the focus of resource allocation decisions unspecified or referred to multiple foci simultaneously. Consequently, the extant literature provides a limited basis to draw strong conclusions regarding the comparability of distributive justice effects across resource foci. In study 2, using a policy capturing approach with 220 individuals, we found that distributive justice involving pay decisions produced stronger effects on workplace reactions than other exchange resources (e.g., work schedule flexibility, recognition, interesting work assignments, and developmental opportunities). Further, the impact of distributive justice varied depending on the personal valence associated with a given resource.