The GiveWell Blog

Learning from a small failure

Global Health Report: A computer science group from the State University of New York at Stonybrook presented three applications or “apps,” that is to say mini-computer programs, that they had designed for use on no-frills mobile phones owned by women working in the informal Senegalese economy. The pilot tests for two of the apps—a dictionary…

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Aid’s track record

While Elie’s been investigating the Carter Center, I’ve been scanning literature (mostly academic) on general questions about aid: what has worked in the past? What’s promising for the future? etc. Rather than trying to come to an independent conclusion on each debate, I’ve been trying to establish which beliefs are supported by evidence that is…

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The Carter Center – part II

In Part I, I laid out my case for The Carter Center, and why we think they’re worth investigating deeply. I also said that we’re not yet ready to recommend them because we have some unanswered questions. Here they are: Relevance of your donation When I give, I want to know that the organization needs…

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Malaria “success story” questioned

Aid Watch on questionable claims of success against malaria: Real victories against malaria would be great, but false victories can mislead and distract critical malaria efforts. Alas, Mr. and Mrs. Gates are repeating numbers that have already been discredited. This story of irresponsible claims goes back to a big New York Times headline on February…

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Trachoma: An example of the need for long-term monitoring

When is a measured program-impact not a real impact? When it doesn’t last. A study published today in PloS NTDs evaluated the impact of four doses of azithromycin (one every 6 months), and monitored trachoma prevalence throughout the drug administration period and for 2 years after the last dose. In the first 24 months (from…

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