Repugnant Markets: Where Blood is Sold and Kidneys Swapped
Summary
Host Gemma Boothroyd interviews Nobel laureate Alvin Roth about "repugnant markets," exploring controversial transactions like organ sales, MAID, and surrogacy. Roth explains how social stigma often drives these practices underground, creating dangerous black markets rather than eliminating them. The discussion highlights how regulated systems, such as kidney exchanges and paid plasma donation, can save lives and reduce harm compared to outright bans.
Topics discussed
Intro and Oxio sponsorship
Personal story on MAID and repugnance
Defining repugnant markets with Alvin Roth
Kidney failure statistics and scarcity
Deceased vs. living donors and matching issues
How kidney exchange programs work
Repugnance, Iran's legal market, and Article ad
Article and Oxio sponsorships
Regulated markets and the plasma trade
Cross-border kidney exchange barriers
International cooperation examples: Israel and UAE
Plasma donation and payday loans
The dangers of the black market for kidneys
Prohibition analogy and surrogacy laws
Future tech, CRISPR, and ethics
Outro, prediction markets, and credits
Listen ad-free on Castria