rationing system
Controlled distribution method
A rationing system is a method of distributing limited resources by restricting how much each person or household can obtain.
Governments typically implement rationing during wartime or shortages—allocating food, fuel, or other essentials through stamps, coupons, or quotas: Under the rationing system, each family received two pounds of sugar per month.
The term extends to any controlled allocation of scarce goods.
- vouchersRedeemable credit documents
- coupon bookBound collection of discounts
- disaster reliefAssistance following catastrophic events
- tokensCurrency substitutes
- fairnessJust and equal treatment
wartime rationing · food stamps · bread lines · equity · allotment · unintended consequences · scarcity · essential goods · moral dilemmas · black market · price ceiling · distribution centers · supply chain · rent control · World War II · war effort · price floor · quota
- North KoreaPyongyang, Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong-il
- East German policystate education, state pensions, full employment, planned economy, free healthcare
rationing systemfree market
Commerce without state intervention
market economy · laissez-faire · open market · capitalism · supply and demand