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From Scarcity to Abundance: Government and Private Initiatives to Manage the Allocation of N95 Masks in the U.S. During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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  • Paul L. Joskow

Abstract

This paper examines the structure, behavior and performance of the N95 respirator market in the U.S. before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-early 2022). It focuses on the behavior and performance of government and private sector organizations in the allocation of scarce supplies of N95 respirators during the pandemic in the U.S. The experience with the supply, demand, allocation, rationing, and pricing of N95s during the first two years of the pandemic provides instructive examples of how the public and private sectors can work in tandem with regulatory support rather than coercion to achieve widely accepted public health goals. Of particular interest is the adoption of voluntary private market segmentation, rationing and price maintenance policies during roughly the first year of the pandemic, led by the dominant U.S. manufacturer of N95s.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul L. Joskow, 2022. "From Scarcity to Abundance: Government and Private Initiatives to Manage the Allocation of N95 Masks in the U.S. During the COVID-19 Pandemic," NBER Working Papers 29876, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29876
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. M. Keith Chen & Judith A. Chevalier & Elisa F. Long, 2021. "Nursing home staff networks and COVID-19," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(1), pages 2015455118-, January.
    2. Joskow, Paul L, 1987. "Contract Duration and Relationship-Specific Investments: Empirical Evidence from Coal Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(1), pages 168-185, March.
    3. Olmstead, Alan L & Rhode, Paul, 1985. "Rationing without Government: The West Coast Gas Famine of 1920," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(5), pages 1044-1055, December.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm
    • L5 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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