4 ms·

I think governments would rather that people that get it first have access than the peoplwnehat can't afford it. If you're going to have to essentially have som

I think governments would rather that people that get it first have access than the peoplwnehat can't afford it. If you're going to have to essentially have some people not get supplies, basing it off of wealth and income is not politically optimal

logicchains 7y ago
If we look at who it's most dangerous too, elderly people, then basing it off wealth would actually be in their favour compared to basing it off who can get to stores quicker to hoard it.
- geofft 7y ago
  That's an inefficient proxy - there are plenty of poor elderly people (note that elderly people are often retired) and rich young people. If we're going to say anything other than "The people with the most ability to pay should get the goods because they have the most ability to pay, in and of itself," then the free market is the wrong tool to use.
- vikramkr 7y ago
  There are poor elderly people too. I think the best response in cases of true need like this is some sort of government intervention and rationing based on need as well as some sort of subsidy to make scaling production profitable. Politically the let the market decide ideology is utterly infeasible - not only are most politicians fundamentally good people that care about their constituents and simply aren't the type to stand by while there's a shortage, there's also the political consideration of how your relection chances will be impacted by attack ads detailing that time you stood by as an elderly individual saw a shelf stocked with purell but couldn't afford the gouged price who then went on to pass away due to the virus. Externalities might not be priced, but they can vote.
kragen 7y ago
Having people line up around the block to be first when the pharmacy opens is perhaps politically optimal but it is not epidemiologically optimal. Except from the point of view of the virus.
- vikramkr 7y ago
  Absolutely. And i think this pandemic is revealing the extent to which political optimality bis deviating from epidemiologic optimality, and the devastating consequences of that given that our politicians are constrained by politics. This has absolutely revealed a need for structural reform to make what's politically optimal and epidemiologically optimal line up, and considering how complex a challenge that is, that's a conversation to start sooner rather than later.

logicchains 7y ago

If we look at who it's most dangerous too, elderly people, then basing it off wealth would actually be in their favour compared to basing it off who can get to stores quicker to hoard it.

geofft 7y ago
That's an inefficient proxy - there are plenty of poor elderly people (note that elderly people are often retired) and rich young people. If we're going to say anything other than "The people with the most ability to pay should get the goods because they have the most ability to pay, in and of itself," then the free market is the wrong tool to use.
vikramkr 7y ago
There are poor elderly people too. I think the best response in cases of true need like this is some sort of government intervention and rationing based on need as well as some sort of subsidy to make scaling production profitable. Politically the let the market decide ideology is utterly infeasible - not only are most politicians fundamentally good people that care about their constituents and simply aren't the type to stand by while there's a shortage, there's also the political consideration of how your relection chances will be impacted by attack ads detailing that time you stood by as an elderly individual saw a shelf stocked with purell but couldn't afford the gouged price who then went on to pass away due to the virus. Externalities might not be priced, but they can vote.

kragen 7y ago

Having people line up around the block to be first when the pharmacy opens is perhaps politically optimal but it is not epidemiologically optimal. Except from the point of view of the virus.

vikramkr 7y ago
Absolutely. And i think this pandemic is revealing the extent to which political optimality bis deviating from epidemiologic optimality, and the devastating consequences of that given that our politicians are constrained by politics. This has absolutely revealed a need for structural reform to make what's politically optimal and epidemiologically optimal line up, and considering how complex a challenge that is, that's a conversation to start sooner rather than later.