Rawlsian Assignments

Abstract

We study the assignment of indivisible goods to individuals without monetary transfers. Existing literature has mainly focused on efficiency and individually fair assignments; consequently, egalitarian concerns have been overlooked. Drawing inspiration from the allocation of apartments in housing cooperatives, where families prioritize egalitarianism in assignments, we introduce the concept of Rawlsian assignment. We show that the Rawlsian assignment is unique and that the rule it induces is efficient and anonymous. The Rawlsian rule is not sd strategyproof, reflecting a fundamental incompatibility between worst-rank minimization and even weak incentive requirements. Nevertheless, it satisfies several robustness properties that limit other forms of manipulation. We illustrate our findings using cooperative housing preference data, showing significant improvements in egalitarian outcomes over both the probabilistic serial rule and the currently employed rule.