Working Paper: NBER ID: w30064
Authors: Parag A. Pathak; Govind Persad; Tayfun Sönmez; M. Utku Nver
Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to rationing guidelines for scarce medical resources. This paper describes the benefits of using a reserve system over a priority system in operationalizing compromises between certain ethical goals. In the last two years, more than a dozen states and local jurisdictions have adopted reserve systems in initial phases of vaccine distribution. We highlight several design issues arising in some of these implementations.
Keywords: COVID-19; resource allocation; reserve system; ethical considerations
JEL Codes: D45; D47; I18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| reserve system (E58) | equitable outcomes (D63) |
| reserve system (E58) | priority to essential personnel (J45) |
| reserve system (E58) | resources available to general population (I39) |
| reserve system (E58) | compromises between competing ethical goals (L21) |
| categories like 'disadvantaged' and 'instrumental value' (D46) | respond to specific community needs (I29) |
| reserve system (E58) | careful design and implementation (C90) |