Scarcity

Scarcity occurs when a material or ideational Good is present in a smaller amount than you need him. The adjective refers to scarce a defect, the homonymous adverb even a small deviation (example: just past taken).

Scarcity is treated scientifically, especially in economics, but also in sociology.

Scarcity in economics

Economics ( VWL)

In economics, a good is if and only scarce, if at a price of goods from zero would be more in demand than is available. In this sense, for example, air not scarce, land, however, are scarce. In Germany, drinking water is not scarce in the desert already. Almost all manufactured goods are scarce. So that scarcity is a reason that people do business.

The scarcity of goods represents an economy with the challenge of optimally allocate the available goods to the various competing uses. The distribution is called in economics allocation.

In a planned economy is an attempt to achieve this through a central controller ( plans). Here, however, problems occur, particularly, the central government does not have sufficient knowledge about all business processes. In addition, they react too slowly to changes.

In a market economy, however, the allocation decentralized (and therefore efficient ) on free markets takes place. From the meeting of supply and demand in a market, which is usually in equilibrium ( equilibrium ) price for the goods, which can be interpreted as a measure of the scarcity of the material. In this respect, the market in a market economy while serving ostensibly the exchange of goods, but at least as important is its function as a mechanism for information processing: About the detailed offers and demands of economic agents send information about the scarcities in the market, from which this is a price signal generated.

Business Studies ( BWL )

In decision-making shortages are calculated using relative coverage spans. It calculates how much of a product to calculate the contribution margin contributes by dividing the coverage range by the production coefficients.

For goods purchased relatively inexpensive independent providers have a strong interest in it to tighten artificial. Examples are luxury items or even goods that every person needs to survive, such as table salt.

Mental about products by artists and scientists, for example, music or texts, can be digitally duplicated infinitely easy. That's why there are laws such as copyright, which prohibit to reproduce such products will be free. These laws cut down those products artificially.

Shortage in sociology

Scarcity is discussed less often directly in sociology. However, the fight against the " scarcity " ( by Bálint Balla ) the object of all social interaction. This explains both different forms of social conflicts and forms of assistance. To fix it, the social actor works, selected forms of reciprocity (see exchange in sociology ), impoverished or enriched or other forms of compensation seeks in other social fields (see sublimation ).