Market Design and Resource Allocation in Non-Profit Settings

Catalog description

Survey of recent research on market design and resource allocation with a focus on under-explored domains in non-profit settings. Will start with classic results in allocation, matching and social choice, and discuss them in the context of relevant objectives such as social welfare and equity. Will then draw on techniques from operations research and economics to explore the design of resource allocation platforms in emerging applications including housing, humanitarian logistics, volunteer coordination, food allocation, conservation and sustainability, and informal markets in the developing world. Prerequisite: consent of instructor; background material will be covered throughout the course as necessary. May be repeated for credit.