edit: This was a letter in this week's issue of The Economist.
The gift relationship
SIR – The failure of an altruistic system to provide enough donors for organ transplants may indeed lead some to embrace an alternative free-market approach (“Psst, wanna buy a kidney?”, November 18th). However, rather than abandon altruism, with its time-tested virtues, the system can be strengthened by incorporating an element of “strong reciprocity”, a phenomenon which refers to the tendency of individuals to reward those who adhere to fair play and punish those who do not.
Although altruism is more common when the recipient is known, economic research shows that it can operate anonymously when buttressed by strong reciprocity. In terms of organ donations, this could be done by adding an extra option to the question: “In the event of my death, I agree to the donation of my organs.” As well as the Yes/No options a third would state “Yes, with a preference to donate my organs to those who agreed to donate their organs.”
Some will take this third option to reward altruistic organ donors, who take some psychological cost by agreeing to donate. It also punishes selfish non-donors by creating doubt about the availability of organs for them. The only way to resolve this doubt is to agree to donate. Altruism is thereby enhanced by strong reciprocity and we could anticipate that the total number of donors would increase.
Dr Donald Landry
Professor of medicine
Columbia University
Dr Rosemary Sampogna
New York
What an amazingly simple and potentially effective idea. I can't believe I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else. Has anyone else seen it before?
The gift relationship
SIR – The failure of an altruistic system to provide enough donors for organ transplants may indeed lead some to embrace an alternative free-market approach (“Psst, wanna buy a kidney?”, November 18th). However, rather than abandon altruism, with its time-tested virtues, the system can be strengthened by incorporating an element of “strong reciprocity”, a phenomenon which refers to the tendency of individuals to reward those who adhere to fair play and punish those who do not.
Although altruism is more common when the recipient is known, economic research shows that it can operate anonymously when buttressed by strong reciprocity. In terms of organ donations, this could be done by adding an extra option to the question: “In the event of my death, I agree to the donation of my organs.” As well as the Yes/No options a third would state “Yes, with a preference to donate my organs to those who agreed to donate their organs.”
Some will take this third option to reward altruistic organ donors, who take some psychological cost by agreeing to donate. It also punishes selfish non-donors by creating doubt about the availability of organs for them. The only way to resolve this doubt is to agree to donate. Altruism is thereby enhanced by strong reciprocity and we could anticipate that the total number of donors would increase.
Dr Donald Landry
Professor of medicine
Columbia University
Dr Rosemary Sampogna
New York
What an amazingly simple and potentially effective idea. I can't believe I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else. Has anyone else seen it before?
