August 10, 2026
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CANADALAND
#1414 Repugnant Markets: Where Blood is Sold and Kidneys Swapped
“Sometimes the transplants weren't done in a sterile environment. They weren't done in a hospital. They were done in an apartment somewhere. There are some very bad black markets.” - Nobel Laureate economist Alvin Roth
Gemma Boothroyd
Reporter
Bruce Thorson
Senior Producer
Chad Galloway
Producer/Audio Editor
Tristan Capacchione
Senior Production Supervisor
Jesse Brown
Host & Publisher

They’re shamed, banned, or driven underground but “repugnant markets” have a way of surviving. Organ sales, MAID, even blood sales fall into the category. Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth comes to Canadaland to discuss his latest book, Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal about How Markets Work.

 

Further Reading:

 

Host: Gemma Boothroyd

Credits: Gemma Boothroyd (Reporter), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Chad Galloway (Audio Editing & Production), Tristan Capacchione (Senior Production Supervisor), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

 

Fact Checking by: Julian Abraham

Additional Music by: Audio Network

Photo: Linda A. Cicero, Stanford University

 

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