Seminars

Abstract: Research suggests that prioritizing organ transplant waiting lists for registered donors can boost deceased donor registration rates. We delve into the impact of allowing family members to inherit unused transplant priority on the willingness of predecessors and family members to donate their organs. Our analysis focuses on the optimal hierarchy between donor and family-inherited priorities in a laboratory experiment within an overlapping generation framework. We find that equalizing priority for self-registered donors and family inheritors leads to free riding by the latter, reducing overall donations. To enhance organ supply, prioritizing self-registered donors with family inheritance while excluding nonregistrants from family-inherited priority is recommended. Our analysis highlights the vital role of family authorization as a crucial source of actual organ donation.