Law of Employment Essay

MALAWI SCHOOL OF
GOVERNMENT
(MSG)
I certify by my signature that this is my own work. The work has not, in whole or
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other sources it has been properly acknowledged and referenced. If this statement is
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Programme Name: Bachelors in Human Resource Management

Cohort: 11
Module Title: Employment Law
Assignment Title: Distributive Justice
Student Name: Kelvin Mkwambisi
Student Registration Number: BHRM/LL/M/C11/23/22
Module Tutor: Chiumia
Date of Submission: Sunday 17th September 2023
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DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
Introduction
Distributive justice concerns the socially just allocation of resources, goods,

opportunity in a society. It is concerned with how to allocate resources fairly among
members of a society, taking into account factors such as wealth, income, and social
status. Cropanzano and Molina (2015) defined it as “the perceived fairness of an
allocation or, more broadly, to how people judge what they receive” and stated that it
was probably the first type of justice to gain the attention of organizational justice
scholars and continues to receive wide attention. Understanding the need for and
existence of distributive justice requires us to realise that in any society, the economic,
political and social frameworks in place result in different distributions of benefits and
burdens across members of the society. The structure of these frameworks is
important because the distributions of benefits and burdens resulting from them
fundamentally affect people’s lives (Lamont & Favor, 2017)
Characteristics of a Society with Distributive Justice
For a society to have distributive justice, it needs to have certain characteristics and
principles need to exist. The society is characterised by the ability to allocate
resources based on Need, meaning members with a greater need should be given more
resources than those with a lesser need. The society also distributes resources based
on merit (based on what an individual deserves as per his actions) and contribution
(based on what an individual contributes to society) (Lamont & Favor, 2017). It
believes that all members of the society should observe right Responsibility, so
members of the society who have more goods, opportunities and resources should
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share with those who have less. The society advocates for the principle is equality,
split into equality of opportunities and equality of outcomes. Equality of opportunity
states that everyone has access to infrastructure like roads and parks, and that
everyone has the opportunity to work and have equal access to sources of income.
Equality of outcomes means that everyone who works in the same job has access to
the same wages; that everyone who attends public school has access to the same
educational outcomes, and that everyone has access to the same kinds of welfare and
social support (Blakeley, 2023). There is also a need in the society for a belief in
proportionality, which is similar to equality and states that workers should receive
compensation (usually in the form of income) that is proportional to their experience
and efforts. Someone working for just half a day should not, according to
proportionality, make as much money as someone performing the same job for a full
day. Proportionality involves taking into account a variety of factors that impact
people's income and making sure that there is a clear relationship between work effort
and compensation. The society must also distribute resources based on merit (based
on what an individual deserves as per his actions) and contribution (based on what an
individual contributes to society (Blakeley, 2023).
Conditions Required for Distributive Justice
The main prerequisite for distributive justice to be present is the presence of a just
society. A just society is a society that respects the rights and liberties of its members
(Rogers, 2020). Rogers (2020) mentions that in order to do this it must adhere to four
main principles:
i. Rationality — A rational concept of justice requires an understanding of human

nature and society, as well as a logical evaluation of evidence. It also requires an
appreciation for the complexity involved in making moral assessments.
ii. Morality — This is necessary because humans are not always rational actors;
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emotions often influence their actions and lead them astray from what they would
otherwise want or need to do if left alone without any external interference.
Therefore, some form of morality should exist so that people can work together
while still preserving individual autonomy.
iii. Fairness — Fairness is important because it allows people to trust one another
and work together for common causes. It also mitigates the effects of bias, which
can result in injustice if left unchecked.
iv. Equality — The distinction between civilized societies and those that are not rests
on whether or not they treat all individuals equally before the law. This means
that public policy should be evaluated based on how it affects everyone,
regardless of their race, sex, religion, ethnicity, etc.
(Rogers, 2020)
Conclusion
Distributive justice plays an impactful role not only in providing a moral guide of the
allocation of resources and fair distribution of goods and opportunities but it also
ensures that they are performed properly by influencing the rules, regulations and
policies of the government in a given society. The various principles of distributive
justice such as equality, need, proportionality, contribution, responsibility etc., besides
being relevant in the context of distributive justice, also play a significant role in
various issues under social justice. he main notion of distributive justice is that fair
distribution and equal treatment is a matter of giving individuals what they deserve in
any civilised society should be implemented for a better society.
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REFERENCES
1. Cropanzano, R. and Molina, A. (2015) International Encyclopedia of the Social

and Behavioral Sciences. 2nd Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
2. Lamont, J. and Favor, C. (2017) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available
at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice-distributive/ (Accessed: 13 September
2023)
3. Blakeley, S. (2023) Distributive Justice: Definition, Principles & Examples.
Available at: https://study.com/learn/lesson/distributive-justice-examples-theory
(Accessed: 13 September 2023)
4. Rogers, J. J. (2020) “What is a “Just Society?”. Available at:
https://medium.com/digital-diplomacy/what-is-a-just-society (Accessed: 13
September 2023)

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MALAWI SCHOOL OF

Programme Name: Bachelors in Human Resource Management

Distributive justice concerns the socially just allocation of resources, goods,

Characteristics of a Society with Distributive Justice

Conditions Required for Distributive Justice

i. Rationality — A rational concept of justice requires an understanding of human

1. Cropanzano, R. and Molina, A. (2015) International Encyclopedia of the Social

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