Carmen Wang writes:
To
help Paris, donate blood... later.
Paris needs blood donations in the aftermath of the Attacks, although not
that much more than a typical Saturday (
EFS press release). Real shortages, however, are very
likely in the upcoming winter and holiday season. Market designers point
out that blood donations, with kind intention, can happen at wrong times.
Instead, would-be donors can register their names and availability with the
blood service, and help later when blood is most needed.
Paris:
Long queues to donate blood everywhere
EFS (French Blood Service) informing of enough blood supply and asking donors
to come back later
Boston in 2013:
Various calls for blood donations after the Boston Marathon Bombing, for
example
(Notice the time of this tweet and that of the next tweet)
The American Red Cross politely declining more blood donations
What happened in the two cities are not coincidences.
Similar phenomenon in blood donations has happened during so many disasters
like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Victoria Bushfire in Australia. In severe cases,
it leads to blood, the gift of life, being left expired on the shelf. However,
in 'normal' times most countries suffer recurring blood shortages, especially
during winter, due to the holiday season and that many regular donors are
affected by cold and flu. Particularly this time in Paris, the winter is
coming. The blood collected today will expire in a few weeks right at beginning
of the winter months. Moreover, donors who donated today, when there is no real
blood shortage, will not be able to donate in winter when shortages do occur.
We can only donate blood approximately once every 3 months. Blood is so
precious, so donate wisely.
The reason why the above phenomenon repeats itself across the world is because
blood donations need to follow the demand for blood, but most people do not have the necessary information. In addition, other people's donations also affects the
supply of blood in real time, which makes it impossible for an individual
donor to decide whether it is a good time to donate blood. In Paris, we do want
to help those who are injured in the Attacks, but not all donors need to
respond at the same time. Too many donations can quickly lead to wasteful
congestion and oversupply, and worse, potentially affect the blood supply
immediately afterwards.
The solution is surprisingly simple, which is to set up a blood donation
registry. People who want to help now can sign up in a registry, and commit to
donate later when a blood shortage does occur. After all, a need for blood
anytime is a need for blood. What difference does it make if it occurs during the
Paris Attacks, Boston Marathon Bombing, Australia's Victoria Bushfire versus
other 'ordinary' times? The blood service, which knows the need for blood at any
given time, can contact donors in the registry to meet any excess demand for
blood, and maintain an adequate level of blood supply in the long term. With
the help of the registry, registered donors can be informed correctly not only
when there is a potential shortage in aggregate, but more importantly, when
their donations are needed and when others have donated enough.
So
to people in Paris, how about a registry in memory of Paris Attacks? The
registry not only helps smooth out supply in disaster times, but also helps
donors to stay informed, and donate whenever there is a need in normal times.
And to donors anywhere in the world, the need for blood in your local area
might be more than that in Paris as today. If you would've helped were you in
Paris, maybe someone needs your help right now right around you.
More details, see paperSlonim,
Robert, Carmen Wang, and Ellen Garbarino (2014). The Market for Blood. The
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(2), 177-196.
And two upcoming working papers (inquire authors for
more information)Slonim,
Robert and Carmen Wang (2015), Market design for altruistic supply: Evidence
from the Lab
Garbarino,
Ellen, Stephanie
Heger, Robert Slonim and Carmen Wang, Redesigning
markets for blood donations: A blood donation registry