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

这一探索性研究早期概念补助金奖将通过更好地了解非法器官贩运网络在世界范围内的运作，有助于促进国家安全和福利。器官贩运系统众所周知是复杂的；它由多个参与者组成，如肾卖家(往往贫穷、年轻和健康)、买家(富裕但绝望)、移植服务提供者(外科医生、医院和其他代理人)、经纪人(他们往往向其他非法交易提供类似服务)以及金融机构，他们有意或无意地参与将钱从买家转移到其他行为者。行为者之间的社会网络是器官贩运所固有的，因为这一系统往往通过社会关系来运作和扩大。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，为从多个角度审查器官贩运网络的性质并发现否则可能很难辨别的结构模式和网络破坏战略提供了机会。这项研究的结果将被广泛传播，以协助执法部门发现贩运犯罪，并帮助决策者制定有效的政策和法规，以破坏这些网络。这项研究项目开发了一个分析框架，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，以基于来自现场的有限但可靠的数据来描述此类网络；ii)提供网络分析，以调查网络中的结构连接及其脆弱性；以及iii)探索优化方法，以得出有效的策略来扰乱这些网络。这些网络区别于其他非法供应网络的财产的影响，即每笔交易的更高利润，高技能、通常是高知名度的行为者(医生、实验室技术人员等)的参与。这项奖励反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.