In early May, the Department of Economics was delighted to host Nobel Laureate Alvin Roth for The Milliman Endowed Lecture. His talk, entitled, “Markets and Marketplaces: The New and Not So New Economics of Market Design,” was attended by over 150 faculty members, alumni, and economics and business students alike. Students in particular responded to his talk, stating that it was a great example of the use of economics models in every field of work.
During his stay, Roth also gave a more technical seminar about the kidney exchange market. This talk, entitled, “Kidney exchange: where we are and where we're going,” outlined the matching process used to connect donors with those in need.
Alvin Roth is The Craig and Susan McCaw Professor of Economics at Stanford University and the Gund Professor of Economics and Business Administration Emeritus at Harvard University. He was the co-recipient of the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (with Lloyd Shapley) "for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design". Roth's research areas include the areas of game theory, experimental economics and market design. He earned his PhD at Stanford University in 1974.
The Milliman Endowed Lecture is made possible by the generosity of Glen and Alison Milliman, who in 1995 established The Glen S. and Alison W. Milliman Endowed Fund in Economics to provide a permanent source of funding for this biennial lecture. Both Glen and Alison are alumni of the University of Washington.