Generosity of the Dead

Dr Graciela Nowenstein is Marie Curie Fellow at the Department of Legal Theory, University of Groningen

• Contents: Introduction; Part I Law as Policy: Organ transplantation: from 'an eternally hopeless dream' to the management of scarce resources; Law as tool for enhancing social change: from faith to disenchantment. Part II Organ Retrieval in Hospitals: Walking on Thin Ice: From heterogeneity to normalization; The 'living cadaver'; Unpredictable situations; Whose gift ? Part III Law and Policy: The regulation of generosity by the state; The law as policy; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

'This is an important contribution to the sociology of law, affording a powerful illustration of the general thesis that whether a law "works" as intended depends in the first place on how it is received and interpreted by those on the "shop floor" where the behaviour to be regulated takes place. No reader will come away still believing that the legal regime in force and general statistics on procurement rates tell one much about what is actually going on.' John Griffiths, University of Groningen, The Netherlands 'This interdisciplinary study provides rich sociological material grounded on a solid and convincing theoretical framework. It will be a major reference for all those who are interested in the interplay between law and science.' Stéphanie Hennette-Vauchez, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre, France ’Nowenstein’s book enriches our understanding of organ procurement practice and policy with empirically grounded theoretical insights. In debates about opting-out systems of organ donation this book can nourish the hesitations that up till now are often labelled as irrational and incoherent. Beyond the field of organ transplantation the book offers valuable insights about relations between laws and the practices that laws aim to regulate.’ Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy