Executive summary: Rethink Priorities’ tools for evaluating cause prioritization suggest that animal welfare interventions are often more cost-effective than global health and development, but the optimal allocation depends critically on moral uncertainty, diminishing returns, and decision-making procedures.
Key points:
The Cross-Cause Cost-Effectiveness Model shows top animal welfare projects have higher expected value but more uncertainty than leading global health interventions.
The Portfolio Builder Tool favors animal welfare given higher cost-effectiveness estimates, but is sensitive to assumptions about diminishing returns.
The Moral Parliament Tool demonstrates how different ethical worldviews and methods of resolving moral uncertainty lead to varied allocations between causes.
Diminishing returns are a crucial consideration when allocating large sums like $100 million.
While these tools provide guidance, the authors emphasize the importance of building capacity across cause areas and increasing overall resources for effective giving.
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Executive summary: Rethink Priorities’ tools for evaluating cause prioritization suggest that animal welfare interventions are often more cost-effective than global health and development, but the optimal allocation depends critically on moral uncertainty, diminishing returns, and decision-making procedures.
Key points:
The Cross-Cause Cost-Effectiveness Model shows top animal welfare projects have higher expected value but more uncertainty than leading global health interventions.
The Portfolio Builder Tool favors animal welfare given higher cost-effectiveness estimates, but is sensitive to assumptions about diminishing returns.
The Moral Parliament Tool demonstrates how different ethical worldviews and methods of resolving moral uncertainty lead to varied allocations between causes.
Diminishing returns are a crucial consideration when allocating large sums like $100 million.
While these tools provide guidance, the authors emphasize the importance of building capacity across cause areas and increasing overall resources for effective giving.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.