I think the research here is solid but I don’t see a clear next step. What specifically would you like EAs to do? Here are some suggestions you might have.
Set up an org to judge the effectiveness of US internal aid?
Lobby states and the government?
Include “improving US aid” as a cause area
Include “improve the US” as a cause area
Include “push for welfare to be made in cash transfers” as a cause are
I guess i am most interested in the artice arguing for the cost effectiveness of one of these areas. Notably setting up an org to judge US aid effectiveness using EA methodologies or lobbying governments to do more transfers as cash. Both of those seem plausibly very effective, but I doubt I’m gonna get round to researching them any time soon.
Thanks for doing this research.
Some specific thoughts:
Maybe other wealthy countries are spending more to fix poverty? Not the case – poverty persists here despite the U.S. spending more on social programs than the average (see below).
Good point! And perhaps this an underestimate also because it is % of GDP. Feels like the spending per capita would suggest even higher spending and it’s unclear to me which is right.
Ask among your network of EAers and I bet you’ll find they view their giving as a portfolio. They give some portion to highly rated global poverty inventions, perhaps some to AI-safety, but they also donate to political campaigns, religious organizations, and still manage to invest in tasteful amenities for their Burning Man camps.
In each of these areas, they want to give to the most effective option.
emphasis mine
I am not sure I believe this. I am unsure that people see their religious donations as a portfolio and certainly not spending on burning man[1]. Personally, i think we’ll get more done if we focus on what people think of as effective giving and make it more effective rather than trying to optimise people’s donations to local causes. But I am unsure whether people think like this—I don’t.
It’s merely an ask for a considered debate.
I dislike ‘asking for debate’. I prefer people make the points and then see how people respond to them. If there were enough arguments I would happily have a debate, but reading this I am like “yeah seems right” but that’s not really enough for a debate.
I don’t think the author thinks that EAs think the burning man thing, even though that’s implied but them I’m confused why it’s even mentioned. Is it a dig? Hardly any EAs go to burning man.
I think the research here is solid but I don’t see a clear next step. What specifically would you like EAs to do? Here are some suggestions you might have.
Set up an org to judge the effectiveness of US internal aid?
Lobby states and the government?
Include “improving US aid” as a cause area
Include “improve the US” as a cause area
Include “push for welfare to be made in cash transfers” as a cause are
I guess i am most interested in the artice arguing for the cost effectiveness of one of these areas. Notably setting up an org to judge US aid effectiveness using EA methodologies or lobbying governments to do more transfers as cash. Both of those seem plausibly very effective, but I doubt I’m gonna get round to researching them any time soon.
Thanks for doing this research.
Some specific thoughts:
Good point! And perhaps this an underestimate also because it is % of GDP. Feels like the spending per capita would suggest even higher spending and it’s unclear to me which is right.
emphasis mine
I am not sure I believe this. I am unsure that people see their religious donations as a portfolio and certainly not spending on burning man[1]. Personally, i think we’ll get more done if we focus on what people think of as effective giving and make it more effective rather than trying to optimise people’s donations to local causes. But I am unsure whether people think like this—I don’t.
I dislike ‘asking for debate’. I prefer people make the points and then see how people respond to them. If there were enough arguments I would happily have a debate, but reading this I am like “yeah seems right” but that’s not really enough for a debate.
I don’t think the author thinks that EAs think the burning man thing, even though that’s implied but them I’m confused why it’s even mentioned. Is it a dig? Hardly any EAs go to burning man.