I’d be interested in thinking about how an EA response could be crafted but I want to point out that there are several key points to be aware of in communicating about this. You did a great job outlining points of tension between supporters of this bill and the patient philanthropy mindset above, but I want to add a few more—particularly given I know a lot of folk who would agree with these points, and so I hope I can frame them more neutrally:
I am certain that part of this momentum is driven by a belief that ‘many billionaires/philanthropists come by their money through doing harm, and this harm must be offset somehow (which is not happening because they gain tax benefits through their philanthropic activity)’
Note: this ties into justice/fairness rather than a simple concern of “what is best,” welfare-wise. I am skeptical that using the traditional EA framework for charity will be effective messaging against this point
I am somewhat certain that part of this momentum comes from skepticism around the effectiveness/impact of existing well-known philanthropists, e.g. Bill Gates & the Gates Foundation
I am certain that part of this momentum comes from increasing concern around the institutional effects of increasing wealth inequality and philanthropic giving, namely its potential threat to democracy and its proclivity for top-down aid/noblesse obligewhich exacerbates the concentration of power + wealth in the already-wealthy
Note: so essentially, there is both a short-term and long-term argument for philanthropy doing harm
I am very certain that the increasing wealth inequality in the US is a key motivator and until the moral circle becomes more global, this must be a point to address. People do not take kindly to the fact that philanthropists are, essentially, taking away what is owed them—tax dollars that could go towards providing government services
Note that the claims I make above are framed in a way that a supporter of this bill might view them, and do not necessarily reflect my personal opinions.
Again, I would love to see a thoughtful and persuasive way of responding to this but I want us to be very cautious in doing so. I think many of these concerns are driven by short-term thinking, which is worth pointing out, but as someone in the U.S. I am also aware of the pain points and potential backlash.
I think the last one, which is from the poverty NGO Global Citizen, is particularly interesting. It goes from asking, “with just under a decade until 2030, it’s important we ask the right questions: are we doing enough to address extreme poverty globally?” to “[American] charities need our help. ” Pointing out the US-centric view they have in supporting this bill might be a good start in crafting an EA response.
Also, I tried to find the status of the bill but couldn’t either. However, I did find the full text.
While I’m not 100% in agreement with Rob Reich’s arguments (author of Just Giving, which argues that US philanthropy threatens democracy), I am interested by his recommended reforms and think an effective EA response would propose some sort of alternative reform. I am certain that US laws around philanthropy could be improved.
I’d be interested in thinking about how an EA response could be crafted but I want to point out that there are several key points to be aware of in communicating about this. You did a great job outlining points of tension between supporters of this bill and the patient philanthropy mindset above, but I want to add a few more—particularly given I know a lot of folk who would agree with these points, and so I hope I can frame them more neutrally:
I am certain that part of this momentum is driven by a belief that ‘many billionaires/philanthropists come by their money through doing harm, and this harm must be offset somehow (which is not happening because they gain tax benefits through their philanthropic activity)’
Note: this ties into justice/fairness rather than a simple concern of “what is best,” welfare-wise. I am skeptical that using the traditional EA framework for charity will be effective messaging against this point
I am somewhat certain that part of this momentum comes from skepticism around the effectiveness/impact of existing well-known philanthropists, e.g. Bill Gates & the Gates Foundation
I am certain that part of this momentum comes from increasing concern around the institutional effects of increasing wealth inequality and philanthropic giving, namely its potential threat to democracy and its proclivity for top-down aid/noblesse oblige which exacerbates the concentration of power + wealth in the already-wealthy
More broadly, this ties into arguments against capitalism and colonialism
Note: so essentially, there is both a short-term and long-term argument for philanthropy doing harm
I am very certain that the increasing wealth inequality in the US is a key motivator and until the moral circle becomes more global, this must be a point to address. People do not take kindly to the fact that philanthropists are, essentially, taking away what is owed them—tax dollars that could go towards providing government services
Note that the claims I make above are framed in a way that a supporter of this bill might view them, and do not necessarily reflect my personal opinions.
Again, I would love to see a thoughtful and persuasive way of responding to this but I want us to be very cautious in doing so. I think many of these concerns are driven by short-term thinking, which is worth pointing out, but as someone in the U.S. I am also aware of the pain points and potential backlash.
Short list of how philanthropic/non-profit organizations have responded:
Roundtable Responds to King and Grassley Senate Bill Targeting Charitable Giving (philanthropyroundtable.org)
Philanthropy divided over legislation to accelerate DAF grants | Philanthropy news | PND (philanthropynewsdigest.org)
Unlocking Billions For America’s Charities On The Frontlines (forbes.com)
I think the last one, which is from the poverty NGO Global Citizen, is particularly interesting. It goes from asking, “with just under a decade until 2030, it’s important we ask the right questions: are we doing enough to address extreme poverty globally?” to “[American] charities need our help. ” Pointing out the US-centric view they have in supporting this bill might be a good start in crafting an EA response.
Also, I tried to find the status of the bill but couldn’t either. However, I did find the full text.
While I’m not 100% in agreement with Rob Reich’s arguments (author of Just Giving, which argues that US philanthropy threatens democracy), I am interested by his recommended reforms and think an effective EA response would propose some sort of alternative reform. I am certain that US laws around philanthropy could be improved.
By the way, Julia Galef did an episode of Rationally Speaking with him! (As you may be able to tell from this Twitter thread, they didn’t really see eye-to-eye.)
Great recent example of my above points: Whose Dollars Are These Anyway? Foundations Rethink Their Model (nextcity.org)