A few years ago, Al Roth published a wonderful book called Who Gets What and Why, that describes in a breezy and informal way the highly technical fields of matching and market design. These are fields to which he has made pioneering contributions. Whenever I’m asked what economics has ever done for the world, I point to the third chapter of this book, which is called “Lifesaving Exchanges”. Here Roth describes the extraordinary role played by non-directed living kidney donors, whose single gift can end up saving not one but dozens of lives by initiating a chain of transplants.
Would a legal market for someone to sell their kidney substantially increase the number of donors? Could a method of selling kidneys be established that would address much of the ethical objections?
Would a legal market for someone to sell their kidney substantially increase the number of donors? Could a method of selling kidneys be established that would address much of the ethical objections?