The dimension of social solidarity in distributive justice

Some normative and empirically based theories conceptualize distributive justice as principles of social action which are characterized by their universal validity, while others see these principles as being local or socially constructed. I discuss these contrasting approaches while arguing that social contexts are a substantive and integral component in the definition of distributive justice. The conceptual framework offered here maps five main attributes of social contexts which, according to the literature, shape justice principles (goals and motives, object of perception, relating to the other, affective climate and type of exchanged resource). It reconsiders these attributes in a more comprehensive way as different aspects of a common dimension, namely, the dimension of social solidarity.