Update in April 2021: This shortform is now superseded bythe EA Wiki entry on Accidental harm. There is no longer any reason to read this shortform instead of that.
Collection of sources I’ve found that seem very relevant to the topic of downside risks/accidental harm
Update in April 2021: This shortform is now superseded by the EA Wiki entry on Accidental harm. There is no longer any reason to read this shortform instead of that.
Collection of sources I’ve found that seem very relevant to the topic of downside risks/accidental harm
Information hazards and downside risks—Michael Aird (me), 2020
Ways people trying to do good accidentally make things worse, and how to avoid them—Rob Wiblin and Howie Lempel (for 80,000 Hours), 2018
How to Avoid Accidentally Having a Negative Impact with your Project—Max Dalton and Jonas Vollmer, 2018
Sources that seem somewhat relevant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences (in particular, “Unexpected drawbacks” and “Perverse results”, not “Unintended benefits”)
(See also my lists of sources related to information hazards, differential progress, and the unilateralist’s curse.)
I intend to add to this list over time. If you know of other relevant work, please mention it in a comment.