Nationality, resource class and preferences among three allocation rules: Sweden vs. USA

Abstract

This study attempted to contribute to existing knowledge about the factors that influence people's choices among allocation rules in the distribution of resources. Previous research has largely neglected two types of determinants, namely national characteristics and type of resources being allocated. The present study employed a 2 × 6 × 3 design, where the independent variables were nationality (American and Swedish) and resource class (love, status, information, money, goods, and services) and the dependent variable was preference for allocation rule (equality, equity and need). Nine hypotheses were derived from an analysis of eight value-orientations with regard to how they apply to America and Sweden and what they seem to imply in terms of resource class and allocation rule. Swedish and American subjects read descriptions of fictitious situations and indicated on a five-point scale how favorable they were to resource allocations according to each of the three rules. Swedes preferred equality more than Americans, who preferred equity more than Swedes, the preference order among rules for all resources was equality—need—equity for Swedes, while the order varied with resource class for Americans, Swedes differentiated more among rules than did Americans, the strength of preference for rules when concrete resources were to be allocated was greater for Americans, American subjects' strength of preferences for rules and allocation of concrete resources was greater than for abstract resources and Swedes differentiated more among rules in the allocation of abstract, as opposed to concrete, resources, while there were no clear differences for Americans.