When the good and necessary things of life are scarce, people rarely behave in a commendable manner. Many social philosophers have placed scarcity at the foundation of a dreary view of society. By scarcity, however, Blumberg means something specific. The author discusses times when firms are particularly susceptible to periodic scarcities or shortages and how these impair the firm’s ability to do business, arguing that hence when shortages occur, many firms are inclined to employ deceptive means to conceal them from customers.
