allocation

Allocation is the process of distributing limited resources—such as time, money, materials, or computing power—among competing uses or agents. It arises wherever demand exceeds supply and decisions must be made about who or what receives a share.

In economics, allocation refers to mechanisms by which scarce resources are assigned, guided by prices, contracts, or policies. Market-based allocations use price signals to match supply with demand; planned or administratively allocated resources rely on objectives set by authorities. Efficiency is often measured by how well resources are used to maximize total value, while equity concerns reflect fairness in distribution.

In computing, memory allocation is the process by which a program reserves and releases blocks of memory for use during execution. Static allocation assigns memory at compile time; dynamic allocation requests memory at run time. Allocation algorithms (for example, first-fit, best-fit) affect performance and fragmentation, and memory management techniques such as garbage collection help reclaim unused space.

In operations research and management, allocation problems involve assigning limited resources to tasks to optimize objectives such as cost, time, or output. Common methods include linear programming, integer programming, and heuristics. Real-world applications include production planning, workforce scheduling, and project budgeting.

Allocations can be influenced by policy, price mechanisms, contracts, or regulatory constraints. They may be evaluated against criteria such as efficiency, equity, resilience, and adaptability.