Some of the most in-demand permits for outdoor play in Colorado and across the West have been posted online at their scheduled times, and Jonathan Hughes has been among the masses logged in and ready.

“You learn very quickly that it’s a competitive process,” he said. “And so you get a couple of computers out; I get my wife or my kids to help out on their computers. You make sure you’ve got a really fast internet connection.”

Recommended Stories

Over the years, the University of Colorado Boulder economist got to thinking about his competition. Were others as capable and equipped?

“That’s how I started thinking about the potential for equity issues or inequality,” Hughes said. “The fact that some users might be disadvantaged in getting permits.”

His latest research indeed suggests disparities.

His paper published in Nature Communications found that competitive reservation systems at national parks favor people from higher-income neighborhoods.…