At the Armchair Expert podcast, Dax Shepard interviewed me in anticipation of the May publication of my book Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work
Here's the video (which was recorded last month at their studio in LA):
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Here is a video of a public lecture I gave at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan.
It begins at around 13:40 (and if I've done it right, the version below should start around there), and the Q&A starts around 1:15:00
Kidney Transplants Save Lives, Cut Taxpayer Costs Lund University
Sweden's kidney exchange programme has been operational since 2018 and will soon be expanded to include the entire EU. The programme has meant that patients' previous waiting times of up to two years have been reduced to just six months.
"Tommy Andersson, Professor of Economics at Lund University School of Economics and Management, never imagined his research would one day lead to this-but his joy, pride, and commitment are unmistakable.
"Thirteen years ago, we began the planning phase in Sweden, and in 2019 we expanded to Denmark, and later to Finland, Iceland, and Norway. The programme is called STEP (Scandiatransplant Exchange Programme). Now, in 2026, there is a consensus on how kidney exchanges should be conducted across the entire EU, and almost all the pieces of the puzzle are in place for us to launch the pilot project during 2026," says Tommy Andersson.
WATCH FILM (in Swedish): "The Economist Saving Lives" -
Tommy Andersson was involved from the start, developing the algorithms that make the kidney exchange programme in Sweden possible. In cases where a family member can donate a kidney, the transplant can occur directly. However, if the donor's kidney does not match the patient, the exchange programme becomes vital. The programme enables matching across Scandinavia and soon across the entire EU."
There's a new (October, 2025) Chinese edition of my 2015 book Who Gets What ― and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design. It's the same translation as the first edition, with a new (improved) title, closer to the English. This is the simplified character version, distributed on the mainland.
The 2016 traditional character translation is still in use in Taiwan:
In Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare helps pay for the funerals of deceased organ donors.
From the Taiwan Organ Sharing Registry and Patient Autonomy Promotion Center
(2) Grants and Assistance for Donors' Families
a. Funeral Subsidies:
The MOHW provides funeral subsidies to the donor's family, including NT$50,000 for corneal donations and NT$100,000 for multiple organ donations in addition to the cornea.
b. Farewell Care Service:
In order to express our gratitude to the organ donors and their families, we provided flower baskets and certificates of appreciation at the farewell ceremony of the donors. In addition to affirming the selfless dedication of the organ donors, we also thanked the family members for their decision.
There's now a vibrant market for real-time commercial satellite photos.
Defense One has the story from the Persian Gulf:
US must adjust to Iran’s use of commercial satellite photos, Space Command says CENTCOM’s declaration of “space superiority” hasn’t prevented Tehran from putting space to use.
By Thomas Novelly
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado—Iran’s use of commercial space imagery to strike U.S. and allied targets will force the Pentagon to adjust, the head of U.S. Space Command said.
“We have to recognize that the rest of the world can now see the entire planet transparently and almost 24/7 and so we have to be able to operate in that environment successfully,” Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of U.S. Space Command told reporters Tuesday during the Space Symposium conference here. "
NTHU Nobel Laureate Lecture Series: Prof. Alvin E. Roth & Prof. Brian K. Kobilka (April 20–21, 2026)
"National Tsing Hua University is honored to host two Nobel Laureates on April 20 (Mon) and April 21 (Tue), 2026. We cordially invite you to join this series of prestigious lectures, forums, and academic exchanges.
Distinguished Speakers:
We look forward to your participation in these insightful academic sessions."
I never took a course from Fred Hillier when I was a PhD student in the Department of Operations Research at Stanford from 1971-73, but as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois from 1974 I taught undergraduate OR from the introductory OR textbook by Hillier and Lieberman.
Here's his Stanford obituary:
"Frederick S. Hillier, professor emeritus of operations research in Stanford Engineering’s Department of Management Science and Engineering, passed away on Jan. 9, 2026. He was 89.
...
"Hillier was best known for co-authoring Introduction to Operations Research, first published in 1967. “His textbook played a major role in defining what operations research is,” said Peter W. Glynn, professor of management science and engineering at Stanford. “It helped people in adjacent fields understand what the field is and how it works.”
...
"When he arrived at Stanford, Hillier was assigned Gerald J. Lieberman as his freshman adviser. Lieberman introduced Hillier to the emerging field of operations research and became Hillier’s undergraduate mentor, doctoral advisor, department chair, and eventually his co-author.
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"Following Lieberman’s encouragement, Hillier stayed at Stanford for graduate school. He earned an MS in statistics in 1959 and a PhD in operations research in 1961. He joined the Stanford faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering that same year.
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"Hillier retired in 1996 and continued revising his textbooks into his late 80s. The 11th edition of Introduction to Operations Research was published in 2020, and he completed the manuscript for the 12th edition in 2023."
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