ABSTRACT
The social distribution of beliefs and norms about the justice of economic equality and inequality is an important characteristic of the political landscape of any society. To the degree that major social and economic groups in a country differ among themselves in adherence to egalitarian vs. inegalitarian norms and beliefs, the potential for group conflict, of course, is heightened. The chapter addresses two general hypotheses derived from micro- and macro level theoretical perspectives on adherence to egalitarian and in egalitarian norms concerning the distribution of income and wealth in industrial societies. On the one hand, the large number of countries and respondents in our study is a strong point, permitting us to test hypotheses in a broad comparative context, ranging from the West to the East. On the other hand undoubtedly face large heterogeneity and variation not only among Western countries, but also within the post communist block.
