ASSESSING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP-DIFFERENCES IN THE SENSE OF JUSTICE - FRAMEWORK AND APPLICATION TO GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE JUSTICE OF EARNINGS

This paper develops a framework for assessing interindividual and inte rgroup differences in the sense of justice. The framework enables esti mation of all the justice quantities of interest-the principles of mic rojustice and macrojustice, the style of expression, and the firmness with which the principles of microjustice are held-as well as statisti cal testing for cross-individual and cross-group differences. To illus trate the framework, the paper investigates gender differences in the principles of justice with respect to earnings. Using data collected b y Rossi's factorial-survey method, we obtain respondent-specific estim ates of (i) three principles of microjustice-the just base wage, the j ust rate of return to schooling, and the just gender multiplier-and th e certitude with which they are held; and (ii) the principles of macro justice-represented by seven measures of inequality. To assess gender differences in each of these eleven elements, we estimate a variety of models, utilizing ordinary least-squares estimators and, to correct f or possible heteroskedasticity and endogeneity, generalized least-squa res and two-stage/least-squares estimators; for the three estimated pr inciples of microjustice, we also carry out hierarchical empirical-Bay es analyses. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.