Conceptions of Justice and Economic Inequality in a Comparative Cross-Country Context

Social justice has rarely been studied using empirical data, and this is especially true in a comparative context. This article analyzes the causes of the methodological and theoretical difficulties that complicate the performance of a comparative cross-country study of this key concept within a social science framework. Based on the data of the European Social Survey (ESS), we analyze how citizens of Russia and other European countries conceptualize the role of the state in the distribution of public resources and establishment of social justice, and we analyze the mechanisms that are used to implement this system and the results of this process.