Introduction
In a world full of pressing problems and worthy causes, how can we ensure our charitable efforts have the greatest positive impact? This is the central question explored in William MacAskill's book "Doing Good Better." As the founder of the effective altruism movement, MacAskill provides a framework for maximizing the good we can do through strategic, evidence-based giving and career choices.
The book challenges many common assumptions about charity and encourages readers to think more critically about how to create meaningful change. By applying rigorous analysis and economic principles to philanthropy, MacAskill offers a refreshing perspective on how to make our altruistic efforts truly count.
Key Ideas
Maximizing Impact Through Strategic Giving
One of the core principles MacAskill emphasizes is the importance of giving where your impact will be greatest. Rather than spreading donations thinly across many causes or giving based purely on emotional appeal, we should carefully consider where our contributions can do the most good.
To illustrate this point, MacAskill shares the story of Dr. James Orbinski's work with the Red Cross during the Rwandan genocide. Faced with an overwhelming number of patients and limited resources, Orbinski developed a triage system, marking patients with numbers to indicate treatment priority. While difficult, this approach allowed him to save more lives by allocating resources most effectively.
The lesson here is that we often face similar choices in charitable giving, even if less dramatic. By prioritizing causes and charities where additional funding can have the biggest impact, we can do far more good than by giving indiscriminately.
MacAskill introduces the concept of expected value as a tool for evaluating charitable opportunities. This involves multiplying an outcome's value by its probability. For instance, if a donation has a 50% chance of saving 3,000 lives, its expected value is 1,500 lives saved. This framework allows us to compare different giving options, even when outcomes are uncertain.
The author argues that we should be open to high-risk, high-reward charitable opportunities if the expected value is great enough. He points to the Fukushima nuclear disaster as an example where planners failed to adequately account for low-probability but catastrophic risks. By considering expected value, we can make more rational decisions about where to direct our charitable efforts.
The Law of Diminishing Returns in Charity
A key insight MacAskill offers is that charitable giving, like many economic activities, is subject to the law of diminishing returns. This principle states that as more resources are added to a particular cause or area, each additional unit provides less benefit than the one before.
To illustrate this concept, MacAskill uses the analogy of a homeless person receiving sweaters. The first sweater might be life-saving, preventing hypothermia. A second sweater would still be beneficial but less impactful. By the time they have several sweaters, an additional one makes little difference to their well-being.
This same dynamic applies to charitable causes. Popular, well-funded charities often reach a point where additional donations have minimal impact. Conversely, neglected causes may offer opportunities for donors to make a much bigger difference with the same amount of money.
MacAskill points to disaster relief as an area that tends to be overfunded relative to ongoing poverty-related causes. For example, aid organizations received $330,000 in donations for every person who died in Japan's 2011 earthquake. In contrast, they receive only about $15,000 for each poverty-related death.
This disparity means that donations to fight ongoing issues like malaria or extreme poverty often have a much greater impact than contributions to high-profile disaster relief efforts. By seeking out underfunded but highly effective charities, donors can maximize the good accomplished by their giving.
Assessing True Impact: The Counterfactual Approach
MacAskill introduces the concept of "assessing the counterfactual" as a crucial tool for evaluating charitable impact. This involves considering what would have happened if we hadn't taken a particular action. Often, the true effect of our efforts is different from what we initially assume.
To illustrate this, he presents two scenarios involving a choking man. In the first, you perform the Heimlich maneuver, saving his life but causing some vocal cord damage due to your inexperience. Since he likely would have died otherwise, your intervention was still positive overall.
In the second scenario, a trained paramedic is present, but you intervene anyway, again saving the man's life but causing unnecessary damage. Here, your actions were actually harmful, as the paramedic could have saved him without complications.
This principle has important implications for how we approach charitable work. Many young people travel to developing countries to build schools or hospitals, assuming they're making a significant contribution. However, MacAskill argues that we need to consider whether local workers could do the job more effectively, potentially providing employment and stimulating the local economy.
The counterfactual approach challenges us to think more critically about our impact. It's not enough to do something that seems helpful; we need to consider whether our specific contribution is truly making the biggest difference possible.
Rethinking Career Choices for Maximum Impact
MacAskill challenges conventional wisdom about choosing careers for social impact. Many idealistic individuals assume working for an NGO or non-profit is the best way to make a difference. However, he argues that this may not always be the case.
The author introduces the concept of "earning to give" as a potentially more impactful career path. This involves pursuing a high-paying career with the intention of donating a significant portion of your income to effective charities.
For example, a doctor choosing between working for an NGO or specializing in a lucrative field like oncology might actually do more good by taking the higher-paying job. While someone else would likely fill the NGO position, the doctor could use their larger income to make substantial donations to highly effective charities.
MacAskill also cautions against the common advice to "follow your passion" when choosing a career. He argues that this often leads people to pursue oversaturated, competitive fields where it's difficult to succeed. Instead, he recommends focusing on "personal fit" – finding a career that aligns with your skills and offers a sustainable long-term path.
Factors to consider in assessing personal fit include the degree of independence, variety, and sense of completion a job offers. For instance, carpentry provides a high sense of completion as you contribute to tangible finished products.
By choosing careers strategically and considering how we can leverage our skills and resources for maximum impact, we can often do far more good than by pursuing more conventionally altruistic paths.
Looking Beyond Administrative Costs
MacAskill challenges the common practice of evaluating charities based primarily on their overhead costs or the percentage of donations that go directly to programs. While this metric is often used by charity evaluators like Charity Navigator, the author argues it's a poor indicator of a charity's actual impact.
To illustrate the flaw in this approach, MacAskill presents a hypothetical charity that provides caviar to hungry bankers. This organization could have extremely low overhead costs and direct nearly all its funds to its main program. However, it would obviously not be an effective use of charitable donations.
The author argues that what truly matters is the actual impact a charity achieves, not how it allocates its budget. He gives the example of Development Media International (DMI), which spends 44% of donations on overhead. While this might seem high, the organization uses these funds to run impactful health education campaigns in developing countries.
MacAskill points out that diseases like diarrhea kill hundreds of thousands of children annually in the developing world, largely due to lack of education about basic hygiene practices. Charities like DMI that effectively address these issues can have an enormous positive impact, even if their overhead costs are higher than average.
This perspective challenges donors to look beyond simplistic metrics and dig deeper into the actual outcomes charities are achieving. It also suggests that we shouldn't automatically dismiss charities with higher administrative costs, as these expenses may be crucial to their effectiveness.
Unintended Consequences of Well-Intentioned Actions
One of the most thought-provoking sections of the book explores how well-intentioned charitable efforts can sometimes have negative unintended consequences. MacAskill challenges popular campaigns against "sweatshop" labor and in favor of Fairtrade products, arguing that these initiatives may actually harm those they intend to help.
Regarding sweatshops, MacAskill argues that while working conditions are often poor by Western standards, these factories typically offer better opportunities than the alternatives available in developing countries. He cites the example of Bolivians who illegally immigrate to Brazil to work in factories, earning about $2,000 per year compared to the $600 they might make in agriculture or mining back home.
By boycotting products made in these factories, well-meaning consumers may actually be depriving workers of their best available economic opportunities. MacAskill suggests that a more effective approach would be to support improved working conditions and wages while recognizing the important role these jobs play in economic development.
The author also critiques the Fairtrade movement, arguing that it often fails to benefit the poorest farmers. He points out that the stringent standards required for Fairtrade certification are often too difficult for the poorest countries to meet. As a result, most Fairtrade coffee comes from relatively wealthier nations like Mexico and Costa Rica, rather than the poorest coffee-producing countries like Ethiopia.
Furthermore, MacAskill cites research suggesting that only a small percentage of the premium paid for Fairtrade products actually reaches producers. He estimates this figure may be as low as 1% of the additional price.
These examples highlight the importance of carefully considering the full consequences of our charitable actions. Good intentions are not enough; we need to critically examine whether our efforts are truly having the positive impact we intend.
The Importance of Evidence-Based Giving
Throughout the book, MacAskill emphasizes the crucial role of evidence and rigorous analysis in effective charitable giving. He argues that we should approach philanthropy with the same level of scrutiny and research we might apply to other important decisions in our lives.
This means seeking out and carefully evaluating data on the effectiveness of different interventions and charities. It also involves being open to changing our minds when new evidence emerges, even if it challenges our preconceptions or emotional attachments to particular causes.
MacAskill highlights organizations like GiveWell that conduct in-depth research to identify and recommend highly effective charities. These evaluators go beyond surface-level metrics to assess the actual impact of different interventions, often uncovering surprising findings about which approaches are most cost-effective.
The author also encourages readers to think critically about commonly cited statistics and claims in the charitable sector. He provides examples of how data can be misinterpreted or presented in misleading ways, emphasizing the importance of digging deeper and seeking out reliable sources of information.
By adopting an evidence-based approach to giving, donors can dramatically increase the positive impact of their contributions. This may sometimes mean supporting less emotionally appealing causes that have been shown to be highly effective, rather than following our immediate emotional impulses.
Effective Altruism as a Lifestyle
MacAskill presents effective altruism not just as a set of principles for charitable giving, but as a broader approach to living an ethical and impactful life. He encourages readers to consider how they can apply these ideas across various aspects of their lives, from career choices to consumer decisions.
One key aspect of this lifestyle is making a commitment to regular, substantial giving. MacAskill suggests aiming to donate 10% of one's income to highly effective charities. By making this a consistent habit, individuals can have a significant positive impact over time without dramatically altering their standard of living.
The author also emphasizes the importance of continual learning and reassessment. As new information becomes available about the effectiveness of different interventions or the emergence of new global priorities, effective altruists should be willing to adjust their giving and career strategies accordingly.
MacAskill encourages readers to engage with the broader effective altruism community, sharing ideas and collaborating to increase collective impact. He points to online forums, local meetup groups, and conferences where like-minded individuals can connect and learn from each other.
By adopting effective altruism as a guiding philosophy, individuals can approach their charitable efforts with greater intentionality and strategic thinking. This mindset shift can lead to dramatically increased impact over time, allowing people to do far more good than they might have thought possible.
Final Thoughts
"Doing Good Better" offers a compelling and often counterintuitive perspective on how to maximize the positive impact of our charitable efforts. William MacAskill challenges readers to move beyond feel-good giving and instead approach philanthropy with the same rigor and strategic thinking we apply to other areas of our lives.
The book's key messages include:
- Focus on maximizing impact by giving where additional resources can do the most good.
- Consider the law of diminishing returns and seek out neglected but highly effective causes.
- Assess the true impact of charitable actions by considering the counterfactual.
- Rethink career choices, considering options like "earning to give" to maximize long-term impact.
- Look beyond administrative costs to evaluate charities based on their actual outcomes.
- Be aware of potential unintended consequences of well-intentioned actions.
- Embrace an evidence-based approach to giving, relying on rigorous research and analysis.
- Adopt effective altruism as a lifestyle, making regular giving a habit and continuously reassessing priorities.
While some of MacAskill's arguments may be controversial, they provide a valuable framework for thinking more critically about how we can do the most good with our limited resources. By challenging conventional wisdom and encouraging a more analytical approach to charity, the book empowers readers to dramatically increase the positive impact of their altruistic efforts.
Ultimately, "Doing Good Better" is a call to action for anyone who wants to make a meaningful difference in the world. It reminds us that with careful thought and strategic action, we have the power to improve and even save many lives. By applying the principles of effective altruism, we can work towards creating a better world more efficiently and effectively than ever before.