The American census, for example, determines how around $200 billion a year of federal funds is shared out, for everything from education and welfare to highways.
It is a hollow victory for Spain's government, which fought hard to keep Endesa out of E.ON's hands and now sees the company shared out, with legal action from the European Commission on the way.
Big and Dré are prominent on the record but, tellingly, never overbearingly so: duties were shared out democratically, with everyone from the collective being given their chance to shine.
At the end of the second yearly cycle, late last year, the group shared out UShs 5.7m ($2,136), up from UShs 4.5m the previous year.
It would see applications from asylum seekers shared out among the 28-nation bloc.
They even provide lots of lovely footage and photos from the summit, shared out between news outlets so journalists (in the absence of protesters) have something to build their reports around.
Gift lists and ideas can be shared out to Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest from this site, much like the social sharing options worked before.
His activities "could raise suspicions of a possible hidden pact between this man and members of organised crime (groups) to share out money from contracts to manage migrant reception awarded by the (Rome) administration", the court document said.
Inequality is bound to grow when the guiding principle for sharing out resources shifts from entitlement to competition.
After Donald Trump won the US presidential race on an anti-globalisation ticket, Carney ended the year with a plea for politicians to do more to share out the gains from global trade.
