EAGER: ISN: Network Analysis and Opportunities for Disruption of Organ Trafficking

这项早期概念探索性研究资助（EAGER）奖将通过更好地了解全球非法器官贩运网络的运作，为促进国家安全和福利作出贡献。众所周知，器官贩运系统是复杂的；它由多个参与者组成，如肾脏卖家（通常是贫穷、年轻和健康的）、买家（富裕但绝望的）、移植服务提供者（外科医生、医院和其他代理人）、经纪人（通常为其他非法交易提供类似服务）和金融机构，他们有意或无意地参与将买家的钱转给其他行为者。行动者间的社会网络是器官贩运的固有特征，因为该系统往往通过社会关系运作和扩大。该奖项旨在建立对网络结构的基本理解，包括参与者的激励和行为模式、参与者之间的联系及其动态演变。该项目的跨学科性质涉及社会科学家、业务研究人员以及卫生和卫生政策专业人员，提供了一个机会，从多个角度审查器官贩运网络的性质，并发现结构模式和网络破坏战略，否则可能不容易辨别。这项研究的结果将广泛传播，以协助执法部门侦破贩运犯罪，并协助决策者制定有效的政策和条例来破坏这些网络。该研究项目制定了一个分析框架，以审查器官贩运网络的结构模式和演变。该框架将：i)部署基于代理的仿真模型，根据有限但可靠的现场数据来表征此类网络；Ii)提供网络分析，以调查网络中的结构连接及其脆弱性；iii)探索优化方法，得出有效的策略来破坏这些网络。将研究将这些网络与其他非法供应网络区分开来的属性的影响，即每笔交易的更高利润、高技能、通常是高调的行动者（医生、实验室技术人员等）的参与以及需要获得专门设施和设备的机会，作为潜在的杠杆点。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award will contribute to the advancement of national security and welfare through a greater understanding of the worldwide operations of illicit organ trafficking networks. The system of organ trafficking is known to be complex; it consists of multiple players such as kidney sellers (often poor, young and healthy), buyers (affluent but desperate), transplant service providers (surgeons, hospitals and other agents), brokers (who often provide similar services to other illicit trades) and financial institutions that knowingly or unknowingly participate in passing money from the buyers to other actors. Inter-actor social networks are inherent in organ trafficking since the system tends to operate and expand through social connections. This award seeks to establish a fundamental understanding of the network structure, including incentives and behavioral patterns of the participants, linkages between the participants, and its dynamic evolution. The transdisciplinary nature of this project, involving social scientists, operations researchers, and health and health policy professionals, provides an opportunity to examine the nature of organ trafficking networks from multiple perspectives and to discover structural patterns and network disruption strategies that may not be easily discerned otherwise. The results of this research will be disseminated widely to assist law enforcement in detecting trafficking crime and and policy makers in developing effective policies and regulations to disrupt these networks.This research project develops an analytical framework to examine structural patterns and evolution of organ trafficking networks. The framework will: i) deploy an agent-based simulation model to characterize such networks based on limited but reliable data from the field; ii) provide a network analysis to investigate structural connections and their vulnerabilities in the networks; and iii) explore optimization methods to derive effective strategies to disrupt these networks. The impact of properties that distinguish these networks from other illicit supply networks, namely the higher profit per transaction, involvement of highly skilled, often high profile actors (physicians, lab technicians, etc.) and required access to specialized facilities and equipment will be studied as a potential points of leverage.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.