Preferences in distributing scarce goods

Respondents rated their preference for distributing scarce goods in four st udies. Study 1, in which respondents were presented with brief scenarios, a nd Study 2, in which respondents were presented with single statements abou t the scarcity, showed that preferences among four different means of distr ibution (order of application, the market, merit, and random) varied with t he nature of the scarcity. There was a tendency for respondents to prefer m ethods currently employed by society. Study 3 compared the preferences for the market system versus regulation of respondents brought up in a market o r a regulated (communist) economy, and Study 4 compared preferences for New Zealand and German students. The results suggest that preferences are not a simple product of either economic upbringing or current practice. (C) 199 9 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PsycINFO classification: 2239; 3040; 3920 JEL classification. D70; H40.