Theory of Constructed Scarcity

The principle that many situations of "scarcity"—not having enough of something—are man-made, not natural. It happens when access to an abundant or sufficiently producible resource is artificially restricted through control, hoarding, legal barriers, or designed obsolescence. The scarcity of the resource is a constructed condition to drive up its value, create competition, and maintain power for those who control the supply. Diamonds aren't rare; their scarcity is carefully constructed by cartels.

Example: "The concert sold out in minutes, but suddenly hundreds of tickets appeared on resale sites at 5x the price. That's the Theory of Constructed Scarcity. The digital tickets weren't physically scarce; their availability was artificially constricted by bots and platform rules to create a desperate market. The 'shortage' was a profitable fiction built by code and scalpers, not by an actual lack of seats."

Theory of Constructed Scarcity by Abzu Land January 31, 2026