Fair and Equitable Distribution of Resources and Opportunities

2. Intractable Conflict Threat and Opportunity

The distribution of resources and opportunities is primarily a question of what is called "distributive justice," although it can also involve "procedural justice" if the procedures used to distribute benefits are unfair. Although the stated goal of American democracy (as enshrined in the Constitution and particularly the Bill of Rights), as well as other democracies, is "justice for all," what that means is highly contentious. "Justice," for instance, can be taken to mean equality, equity, or distribution according to need. When equality is the guiding principle, goods will be distributed equally among all people. (In other words each person will get the same amount.) However, due to differences in levels of need, this will not result in an equal outcome. As Michelle Maiese explained in her BI Knowledge Base essay on distributive justice, "every incoming freshman to a local college with a grade point above 3.0 might be offered a $1,000 scholarship. This is a nice reward for students and parents who can afford the remaining tuition, but is of no help to families that cannot afford the additional thousands of dollars required to attend the school.")

When equity is the guiding principle, benefits are distributed in proportion to the individual's contribution. Those who make a greater productive contribution to their organization or society deserve to receive more benefits. (Thus, in theory, people who work harder in more valuable jobs should earn more money.) This sort of distribution is typically associated with an economic system where there is equal opportunity to compete. That, of course, is the rub, in that there is seldom an equal opportunity to compete. Some people are born into families with many more advantages than others, and the disadvantaged tend to become even more so over time, as they end up in broken families, inferior schools, with little ability to get to college or obtain good jobs, etc.

An answer to that issue is to distribute resources and opportunities (schools, jobs) according to need, so people born into disadvantage get more than people born into advantaged circumstances. This is what DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs are all about. But to the extent these programs are seen to violate principles of equity or equality, (and particularly to the extent to which they are seen to "discriminate" against whites), they are seen as "unjust" — and hence are opposed —by many.

So bottom line, what "fair and equitable" means is highly contentious. But there is more agreement that constructive conflict resolution and healthy democracies should work to be as "just" (i.e., fair and equitable) as possible.