Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Is giving people a sense of agency better than giving them cash? (with Richard Sedlmayr)

Mar 8, 2023

59:38

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Episode notes

Introduction

2min

The Evidence-Based Movement and Development

3min

The Importance of Cash Transfers in the Development of Nations

4min

The Impact of Conscious Awareness on Dropouts

2min

The Cost of Information Interventions

2min

The Cost of Information Interventions

5min

The Importance of Information and Beliefs

2min

The Importance of Timing in Pregnancy

5min

The Replication Crisis: How to Interpret Studies in the Light of the Replica Crisis

4min

10.

The History of the Replication Crisis

3min

11.

The Importance of Learning in the Process of Rolling Out Information Interventions

4min

12.

How Randomization and Testing Can Generate Knowledge

2min

13.

The Hidden Potential of Research Mindsets

2min

14.

The Importance of Iterative Learning in Nonprofits

5min

15.

The Relationship Between Cash Transfers and Effective Altruism

3min

16.

The Impact of Cash Transfers on Effective Altruism

3min

17.

The Future of Agency Interventions

3min

18.

How to Fund a Vocational School Intervention

3min

19.

How to Scale a Small Pilot

2min

20.

How to Avoid Anxiety About Social Media

2min

Read the full transcript here.

Can giving people a sense of agency and dignity be better than giving them access to food, shelter, clothing, or cash? And what exactly can be done in practice to expand human agency? How does the value of agency-oriented interventions compare to the value of more tangible interventions? How robust are the findings about all of the above in light of the replication crisis? In general, how much confidence should we place (with or without the replication crisis) in the findings of social science research? How tight should the feedback loop be for organizations that do both research for and implementation of charitable interventions?

Richard Sedlmayr works with a private foundation called the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, where he funds research and innovation to promote pro-poor economic development. He is also involved in the setup of The Agency Fund, a philanthropic partnership investing in ideas and organizations that support people in the navigation of difficult lives. Richard's background is in behavioral, development, and financial economics, and he has a PhD in Public Policy from Oxford. Richard has lived in a dozen countries and is currently based in the Bay Area. You can get in touch with him on LinkedIn.

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