Equity comprises three interlinked dimensions: Distributive equity highlights the need to consider not just the allocation of benefits, but also of costs and risks. Decisions about distribution can be justified on the basis of equality, social welfare, merit or need. Procedural equity encompasses fairness in political processes and participation in decision-making. Contextual equity recognises the fact that the playing field is never level, but that people's capabilities and their access to resources and power determine the extent to which they are able to utilise procedural equity to determine the best distributive outcome for themselves.