Fairness of Allocations among Groups of Unknown Others

The aim of three experiments was to examine the idea that when judging the fairness of allocations people are influenced both by differences in relative payoffs and the number of comparisons among payoffs. The hypothesis tested was that judged fairness would be inversely related to the average difference between payoffs; average difference was defined as the sum of absolute differences between outcomes to groups divided by the number of pairwise comparisons between the groups. In Experiment 1, 24 undergraduates rated fairness and goodness (desirability) of allocations to one privileged and one underprivileged group consisting of fellow students. The participants were not themselves members of the groups and their ratings did not depend on evaluations by the groups members. Results showed, as expected, that differences in payoff determined judgments of fairness but also that larger sums were to some extent rated as more fair than smaller sums. However, as the sum increased, the effect of difference was shown to decrease. Fairness ratings partially mediated ratings of goodness. In Experiment 2, 72 undergraduates rated fairness and goodness of combinations of payoffs to two or four groups consisting of fellow students. Results confirmed that rated fairness was inversely related to the average difference between payoffs. The total sum of the groups payoffs was again found to somewhat increase rated fairness, whereas the number of members in the groups did not have any clear effect. In Experiment 3, 24 undergraduates rated the goodness of allocations to two, three, and four groups. The results showed similar effects as in the preceding experiments.     

Foreign Policy “On the Cheap”: Latvia’s Foreign Policy Experience from the Economic Crisis

This article assesses whether the reduction of budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia in 2008–2012 led to more modest foreign policy in the sense of both objectives and execution. After assessing four goals of Latvian foreign policy since 2008 – regional cooperation, bilateral development cooperation, facilitation of Latvia’s economic interests abroad, and relations with the Latvian diaspora – the authors conclude that the decrease in funding for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had little impact on Latvia’s ability to achieve foreign policy objectives.     

What They Do Does Matter: Incumbent Resource Allocations and the Individual House Vote

It is reasonable to presume that House incumbents through their behaviors and resource allocations (e.g., trips home, staff, etc.) are responsible for their electoral success. The empirical case for the resource allocation hypothesis, however, rests primarily upon the support of a few experimental design studies. The remainder of the evidence from 25 years of tests of this hypothesis, at the district and individual-levels, is littered with null findings. Scholars suggest two methodological obstructions hinder alternative hypothesis findings: simultaneity bias (in district and individual-level studies), and restricted variance on the allocation measures (in individual-level studies). In this investigation I apply methodological remedies for these hindrances-nonrecursive analyses on a pooled (1960–1976) NES elections data set. I uncover the strongest evidence yet that incumbents benefit electorally from their resource allocations (here: bills sponsored and cosponsored, staff, and district offices). In addition to this main result, I also discuss the influence generational replacement has on resource allocations and the vote.

British National Party: Contemporary Perspectives

The coalition government has set out plans to dismantle the regional tier and return powers to localities and Whitehall departments. These changes will have significant implications for the way in which transport policy is formulated and delivered in England. When in power, New Labour introduced a range of measures to strengthen governance arrangements for promoting a more joined-up and decentralised approach to transport policy, including Regional Funding Allocations (RFAs). This paper examines the opportunities and limitations of the RFA process and considers the consequences of removing these regional structures for transport policy in England. We conclude that important progress made in recent years to develop effective arrangements for identifying transport priorities at the sub-national tier could be derailed by the Coalition's intention to remove regional governance structures in their entirety.     

Egocentric Perceptions of Relationships,Competence, and Trustworthiness in Salary Allocation Choices

This paper presents three experiments that investigate the effects of interpersonal perceptions on simulated monetary and salary allocations. Experiment 1 examined the effects of relationships on choices between interdependent monetary distributions for a sample of students. Experiment 2 examined the effects of relationships and competence on choices between interdependent salary allocations and on discretionary salary allocations in scenarios presented to a sample of working managers. Experiment 3 used a novel measurement of the social motives revealed by interdependent salary allocations and added a manipulation of trustworthiness for a sample of experienced MBA students. Egocentrism and judgments of incompetence or untrustworthiness had strong effects on participants' choices. Allocations also increased for liked others, even though allocators denied any effects for liking.