Cross-cultural studies of rules for determining majority and minority decision rights

Abstract

The paper describes a program of cross-cultural research on children's use of decision rules to resolve competing claims by group majorities and minorities. The prediction that the cultural dimension of collectivism-individualism (Hofstede, 1980) influences the rules and principles children follow in determining majority versus minority rights and allocations is supported by classroom experiments in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Israel. Children in collectivist cultures are more likely to use the equal say or turn taking rule in resolving majority and minority claims. Children in individualist cultures are more likely to follow majority rule or self-interest in resolving majority and minority claims. Majorities and minorities differ in the decision rules and distribution principles they favour to protect their interests, with minorities especially prone to make disproportionate claims. Proposals for cross-cultural research are made, including studies of the effects of variations in the relative size of competing majority and minority groups, variations in the nature of the out-group (e.g., genuine or artificially created; own classroom or other classroom), and influence of decision rule on subsequent distribution of resources between groups.