Scarcity

The Basic Idea

There is a limited quantity of resources available to us. However, our desire for these resources is theoretically limitless. This discrepancy between supply and demand is referred to as scarcity. Scarcity gives rise to the challenge of allocating resources in a manner that satisfies as many basic needs and additional demands as possible.1 Abundance is the opposite of scarcity.

Prime examples of scarce resources are time and money. Frequently, people find themselves with an abundance of one, while significantly lacking the other.2 A doctor, for example, might turn an impressive salary, but work well over forty hours a week, leaving them with very little time for themselves. Every resource comes at a cost; in this situation, the doctor’s abundance of money costs them a significant amount of their time. Although some resources may be available in a seemingly vast supply, they are still considered scarce, in a technical sense, because there is only a finite quantity available.

Economics is the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.


– Lionel Robbins (1932).

About the Authors

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Dan Pilat

Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.

A smiling man stands in an office, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt, with plants and glass-walled rooms in the background.

Dr. Sekoul Krastev

Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.

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