057: Alvin Roth on Match-Making, Repugnant Markets and Market Design

Alvin E. Roth is the Craig and Susan McCaw Professor of Economics at Stanford University. He is also the Gund Professor of Economics and Business Administration Emeritus at Harvard University. Professor Roth has made significant contributions to the fields of game theory, experimental economics and market design and is known for his emphasis on applying economic theory to solutions for "real-world" problems. In 2012, Alvin won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences jointly with Lloyd Shapley "for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design” Alvin has a B.S form Columbia University,  and earned his MS and Ph.D. from Stanford University. Alvin’s latest book Who Gets What and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design is now available on Amazon. In this episode you will learn: what economics is and if we need money to allow a market to operate efficiently. about the price discovery process in economics. what is match-making markets and how similar the labor market is to the dating market. what is market design and why it is important. how entrepreneurs and start-ups, like Airbnb and Uber, use market failure to solve a problem. what is a repugnant market. the difference between a thick and a thin market. what makes a market thick. about the black market for kidneys. how kidney exchange works. and much more. Subscribe to the Economic Rockstar podcast on iTunes and never miss an episode. Check out the shownotes and links mentioned in this episode at www.economicrockstar.com/alvin-roth