Crisis Prices: The Ethics of Market Controls during a Global Pandemic
本文梳理了关于价格欺诈的哲学文献，指出现有理论适用于局部紧急情况而非全球持续危机，并强调在全球危机中激励必需品增产是支持价格欺诈的重要理由，同时提出判断是否应限制价格欺诈的三个条件。
SARS-CoV-2 has unleashed an unprecedented global crisis that has caused the demand for essential goods, such as medical and sanitation products, to soar while simultaneously disrupting the very supply chains that allow individuals and institutions to obtain those essential goods. This has resulted in stark price increases and accusations of price gouging. We survey the existing philosophical literature that examines price gouging and identify the key arguments for regulators permitting such behavior and for regulators restricting such behavior. We demonstrate how the existing accounts are designed for localized emergencies rather than global persistent crises such as the coronavirus pandemic. In light of this, we highlight an understudied justification for price gouging that is much more salient during global crises: incentivizing increased production of essential goods. Furthermore, we pinpoint three conditions that help determine whether authorities should restrict price gouging during the coronavirus pandemic and similar global crises.