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How an economist helped thousands get a new kidney

Graham Watson

17th December 2019

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A lovely example of how microeconomics can improve the world.

This BBC article looks at Alvin Roth's work in creating a 'kidney exchange' to allow for thousands of patients to be matched with donor kidneys, saving lives.

This article doesn't really touch on much of the underlying economics, but the reality is that, in essence, Roth's work created a market for kidneys where none existed and saved lives as a result, perhaps underscoring the fact that the market is one of the greatest ever inventions, if indeed it was invented.

As an added bonus, this sort of thinking also helped win him the Nobel Prize.

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Graham Watson

Graham Watson has taught Economics for over twenty years. He contributes to Tutor2U, reads voraciously and is interested in all aspects of Teaching and Learning.

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