misallocations
Resources placed poorly
Misallocations are instances of directing resources—money, time, labor, attention—to the wrong places or purposes.
The term implies waste or inefficiency: Budget misallocations left critical departments underfunded.
Economists use it to describe market failures where capital flows to less productive uses: The housing bubble represented a massive misallocation of investment.
Suboptimal use of resources
- wasteUnwanted discarded material
- squanderUse up carelessly
- depletionReduction of supply
- misuseImproper application
misdirection · scarcity · shortage · surplus · oversupply · inventory · stockpile · distribution
Measurable difference between things
- inequityUnfair distribution or treatment
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- maldistributionUneven or unfair allocation
- disproportionateNot properly scaled
skewed · uneven · bias · favoritism · discrimination · underserved · marginalization · disadvantage
Incompetent handling of responsibilities
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
- incompetenceLack of required skill
- maladministrationFaulty conduct of authority
bureaucratic · clerical · error · miscalculation · discrepancy · rectification · correction · reassignment
Exceeding one's budget
- underfundingInadequate monetary allocation
- redistributionSharing out again differently
- appropriationUnauthorized claiming or allocation
- disbursementDistribution of funds
expenditure · shortfall · deficit · surplus · overrun · accounting · audit · reconciliation
inefficiency
Suboptimal use of resources
misuse · misdirection · scarcity · shortage · surplus · oversupply · inventory · stockpile · distribution · logistics
disparity
Measurable difference between things
- inequityUnfair distribution or treatment
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- maldistributionUneven or unfair allocation
disproportionate · skewed · uneven · bias · favoritism · discrimination · underserved · marginalization · disadvantage · exclusion
mismanagement
Incompetent handling of responsibilities
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
- incompetenceLack of required skill
maladministration · bureaucratic · clerical · error · miscalculation · discrepancy · rectification · correction · reassignment · impropriety
overspending
Exceeding one's budget
- underfundingInadequate monetary allocation
- redistributionSharing out again differently
- appropriationUnauthorized claiming or allocation
disbursement · expenditure · shortfall · deficit · surplus · overrun · accounting · audit · reconciliation · discrepancy