Economic justice in adolescence: An Australian-Japanese comparison

Abstract

This cross-national study examines adolescents' allocations of economic rewards according to perceived family need. Japanese and Australian boys responded to situations corresponding to all possible combinations of four evaluative dimensions: worker effort, ability, work outcome and family need. When outcome was presented as high. Japanese adolescents with increasing age allocated a significantly greater income increment to workers with high family need than did their Australian counterparts. In addition. Japanese adolescents allocated significantly more income to low ability workers. In both samples, high need was rewarded significantly inore than low need, except when workers' ability was high but their effort and work outcome were stated as low. The results are discussed in terms of Western and Japanese economic arrangements, and point to changes in concern for family need which continue to develop beyond childhood as influenced by the cultural context.