Department of Economics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA.
Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT.
Am Econ Rev. 2009 Sep;99(4):1309-34. doi: 10.1257/aer.99.4.1309.
Stem cell transplants save lives of many patients with blood diseases. Donation is painful, but rarely has lasting adverse effects. Patients can accept transplants only from donors with compatible immune systems. Those lacking a sibling match must seek donations from the general population. The probability that two unrelated persons are compatible is less than 1/10,000. Health authorities maintain a registry of several million genetically tested potential donors who agree to donate if asked. We find that the benefits of adding registrants of every race exceed costs. We also explore the peculiar structure of voluntary public good provision that faces potential donors.
干细胞移植挽救了许多血液疾病患者的生命。捐献过程虽然痛苦，但很少会产生持久的不良反应。患者只能接受免疫系统相匹配的捐献者的移植。那些没有兄弟姐妹匹配的患者必须从普通人群中寻找捐献者。两个无关个体相匹配的概率小于万分之一。卫生部门维护着一个登记册，其中包含数百万名经过基因测试的潜在捐献者，他们同意在被要求时进行捐献。我们发现，增加每个种族的登记人数所带来的收益超过了成本。我们还探讨了面临潜在捐献者的自愿公共品提供的特殊结构。
