Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg Why it's so hard to have confidence that charities are doing good (with Elie Hassenfeld)
Mar 16, 2022
Elie Hassenfeld, co-founder and CEO of GiveWell, discusses how their focused methodology sets them apart in the charity sector. He explains why they recommend only a few high-impact charities and the complexities of measuring charitable effectiveness. The conversation touches on the philosophical dilemmas of saving lives versus improving well-being, challenges in evaluating charities, and a major cost miscalculation in deworming programs. Hassenfeld emphasizes the role of empirical evidence in effective giving and addresses misconceptions about poverty management.
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GiveWell's Unique Approach
- GiveWell prioritizes finding the most impactful charities, not rating every charity.
- They focus on evidence-backed organizations in low- and middle-income countries where additional funding maximizes impact.
Moral Weights in Charity Assessment
- GiveWell grapples with "moral weights," like how to compare saving lives and increasing income.
- Wider charity options let donors align giving with their moral values.
Balancing Saving Lives and Well-being
- GiveWell uses an internal exchange rate to compare the value of saving lives with improving well-being.
- This rate is based on factors like academic literature, surveys, and empirical analysis, acknowledging the lack of a single "right" answer.
