Reserve system design for allocation of scarce medical resources in a pandemic: some perspectives from the field

Parag Pathak, Govind Persad, Tayfun Sönmez and Utku Unver

Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 2022, vol. 38, issue 4, 924-940

Abstract: Reserve systems are a tool to allocate scarce resources when stakeholders do not have a single objective. This paper introduces some basic concepts about reserve systems for pandemic medical resource allocation. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we proposed that reserve systems can help practitioners arrive at compromises between competing stakeholders. More than a dozen states and local jurisdictions adopted reserve systems in initial phases of vaccine distribution. We highlight several design issues arising in some of these implementations. We also offer suggestions about ways practitioners can take advantage of the flexibility offered by reserve systems.

Keywords: reserve system; categorized priority system; Covid-19; vaccine allocation; equitable allocation; ethical rationing; market design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Working Paper: Reserve System Design for Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in a Pandemic: Some Perspectives from the Field (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:oxford:v:38:y:2022:i:4:p:924-940.

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