"Among the participants in the cooperative the organs still remain a
common
pool. How do you allocate differing body parts?" Well, there are medical
criteria NOW for transplants that could be used. The need for the organ,
plus one's health, plus one's compliance with the various regimes of
pre-treatment all can advance one up or donw a transplant list, PLUS the one
vital factor, organ compatibility. Organs are NOT carburetors, they won't
just fit anyone! As an aside, my wife has had FOUR kidney transplants, so
she and I have some familiarity with this area.
"Also, the incentives to provide good organs in this market seems
weak. Those with high quality organs benefit much less from this
arrangement than in a market." I am at a loss as to what this means. We
are not talking about an exchange program here. Anyone that needs an organ
transplant will NOT have healthy organs. I don't get on a kidney transplant
list becasue I don't like my current kidney function, but because I have
lost kidney function. The idea proposed is that before one can become
eligible to RECEIVE a transplanted organ, one must have acceeded to be
willing to DONATE an organ.
Though that idea has some flaws, too. It runs afoul of a
free-loader problem. If I have diabetes I might well want to become an
organ donor. I won't be able to donate, very much if anything, upon my
death, but I would be eligible to RECIEVE a lot, kidneys, livers, pancreas,
hearts, a host of things diabetes damages.
-----Original Message-----
From: John-charles Bradbury [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 3:19 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Organ shortage - a tragedy of the commons
>Indeed the policy is essentially as efficient as pricing >organs.
Please explain further on this point. Certainly, it is better than the
current situation, and the political objections are minimized. But I don't
think its efficiency properties rival market efficiency.
Among the participants in the cooperative the organs still remain a common
pool. How do you allocate differing body parts? Also, the incentives to
provide good organs in this market seems weak. Those with high quality
organs benefit much less from this arrangement than in a market.
JC
