Problem
You may wish to consider the concepts of distribitive justice, equality, and the difficulty in distributing society's goods lies in deciding the weight of these criteria. The various theories can be categorized as:
I. Egalitarian theories: distribution should ensure equal shares for all.
II. Marxist theories: distribution should be based on need.
III. Libertarian theories: distribution should take place based upon merit without government interference.
IV. Utilitarian theories: distribution should maximize benefit for society.
We often think of distribution of goods as physical things such as food and medical care but consider the above concepts in the following as a distribution of EMPLOYMENT:
Who Should Be Promoted?
You are on a promotion committee to recommend to the chief of police a candidate for a captain's position. All are lieutenants and have received similar scores on the objective tests available for the position. The candidates:
I. A thirty-nine-year-old woman who has been with the police department for nine years. She has obtained a college degree and a master's degree by going to school at night. She has spent relatively little time in her career on the street (moving quickly to juvenile, community service, and DARE positions).
II. A forty-six-year-old white male who has also had experience in command positions in the army before joining the police force. He has fifteen years of experience-all in patrol positions-and has a college degree.
III. A forty-year-old Hispanic male with ten years of experience. He has been very active with the community. Several community groups have endorsed him, and they demand that there be Hispanic representation on the command staff. He also has strong support among Hispanic officers, serving as their association president. He has a two-year college degree.