Do incentives help donation — or undermine it?

Why do some people choose to donate while others never join at all? And if we try to encourage more people to participate, could incentives actually change the meaning of giving?

In the premiere episode of Vital Margins, host Vikram Varanasi sits down with researcher and behavioral economist Stijn Bruers to explore one of the biggest questions in medical donation: how human behavior shapes who ends up in donor systems—and who gets left out.

Drawing from Dr. Bruers’ research on plasma donation incentives, the conversation examines whether small rewards can increase participation, why some incentives work while others fail, and the complicated relationship between economics and altruism. They discuss social signaling, cost-effectiveness, familiarity effects, donor accessibility, and what these lessons might mean for the future of stem cell donor registries.

Along the way, Vikram connects the research to his own work through HopeLink and asks a broader question that defines the season:

If the barriers to donation aren’t always biological, what happens when we redesign the system instead?

Topics covered:• Behavioral economics and donation• Financial incentives and donor motivation• Why donor gaps persist• Stem cell registry participation• Cost-effective ways to increase donation• Altruism, accessibility, and human behavior