Rationing

Rationing is the controlled allocation of scarce goods, often by setting purchase limits or distributing coupons. It restricts how much each person or organization can obtain.

Ration card: A document or account that records a person’s entitlement to rationed goods. Ration cards let authorities track and enforce individual purchase allowances.
World War I: A global war fought from 1914 to 1918, chiefly between the Allies and the Central Powers. Wartime shortages led governments, including Britain’s, to introduce rationing.
Fuel rationing: The restriction or allocation of fuel purchases during a shortage or emergency. Fuel rationing applies allocation rules to transport and energy use.
Price mechanism: The adjustment of prices that coordinates supply and demand in a market. Unlike fixed allowances, price changes allocate scarce goods partly through purchasing power.
Ration coupon: A voucher that permits its holder to buy a specified quantity of a rationed good. Coupons convert an allocation rule into a limited purchasing entitlement.
World War II: A global war fought from 1939 to 1945 between the Allies and the Axis powers. Governments across the warring countries rationed food, fuel, and other scarce goods.
Water rationing: Restrictions on water use or distribution during shortages. Drought forces authorities to divide a resource whose demand is difficult to postpone.
Free market: An economic system in which prices and production are determined mainly by voluntary exchange. Market allocation is a common alternative to government-set purchase limits.
Price control: A government-imposed limit on the price charged for a good or service. Price controls may accompany rationing, but do not by themselves limit quantities purchased.
United States home front during World War II: The civilian and domestic mobilization of the United States during World War II. Its ration books and local boards show how a large rationing system operated.

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