Suppose you are a policy advisor for Governor DeSantis. He has just informed you that his constituents would like him to comment on the state of organ donation and address the inability of the current system to meet demand. His office is in charge of finding solutions to the difficult issue of organ trade.
He will be addressing the issue in the upcoming commission meeting and needs an economic analysis of the situation completed before then for review. Refer to the articles Black Market Bodies and Meat Market (posted below) to help you begin to your analysis. Use the articles and other references you may find to evaluate the limitations that exist with the current “solution’ to meeting organ demand in the US.
The governor asks that you draw upon your critical thinking and problem-solving skills in order to break down the complex problem that exists in the market for organs and help him examine, propose, and support potential solutions. You are encouraged to propose an original solution or contribution even if it deviates from mainstream solutions.
In your analysis you must include the following 6 Sections:
Current State of the Kidney Market in the U.S.: What is the current state of kidney donation in the US according to the first article? Describe this market using supply and demand; reference your graph in your description. Include “graph 1″ of this market at the end of the paper (not included in page count).
Deregulation of the Kidney Market: Consider what would happen if the US did allow payment for kidney donation [if there is payment involved, can we still call it “donation?”]. Describe the deregulated market (no government intervention, free market system) using supply and demand; reference your graph in your description. Include “graph 2″ of the deregulated market at the end of the paper (not included in page count).
Equity and Efficiency in the Kidney Market: Who gains and who loses in the current state of the kidney market. Who gains and who loses in a deregulated market? Discuss the economic efficiency of the market in its current state and after deregulation; reference your graphs 1 and 2 in your discussion.
Donation Systems Around the World: Explore the policies that are currently implemented across the globe (i.e. those discussed in the articles – routine removal, presumed consent, organ donor points, “no give, no take”, etc.). Evaluate the limitations of these policies. Also consider how these policies fare in terms of the efficiency vs. equity debate. (You do not need to critique them all, just select 2 or 3 that you find interesting/appealing.)
New Policy Proposal: Come up with a policy proposal of your own that might help deal with the vast shortage of kidneys in the US. Use a supply/demand diagram to show how the policy will decrease the current shortage of kidneys and analyze the impact to society; reference your graph in your description. Include “graph 3″ of the market with your new policy changes at the end of the paper (not included in page count).
Recommendations: If you had to pick from one of the policies you described (current state of the market, deregulation, other policies, or your own proposal), which would you recommend for the US? Why? You must defend the policy you choose. If you recommend no changes to the current policy you must defend this recommendation.
Keep in mind, Governor DeSantis is not one for 1,000 page policy briefs. He prefers his analysis to be professional, clear, complete, correct, and most importantly concise. His constituents also require credible sources so be sure to document all references, including but not limited to those listed below.
