Rationing

Refers to the practice of rationally distributing limited resources. The term is often used in both microallocation contexts, as in the allocation of organs for transplants, and macroallocation contexts, as in the case of the Oregon Medicaid Priority List. What a just rationing policy might look like in practice will vary with one’s conception of justice. For example, a libertarian may argue that only a market-based rationing policy is just, whereas a Rawlsian might argue that a just rationing policy is one that ensures fair equality of opportunity or protects the least well-off members of society. From the Catholic perspective, just rationing policies would distribute resources according to criteria that respect human dignity and the common good—presuming an equality of persons that may nevertheless take into account differences in social responsibility. (See also, the principle of distributive justice.)

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