A couple questions for you. I think Cause 5 is going to come down to these questions. 1. Would you rather grant … A. A program that helps severely unemployed/undermployed people, with barriers to employment including past convictions & drug abuse, get jobs paying $8-12/hr with no clear career path, such as security guard /…
The GiveWell Blog
Month: September 2007
Giving: Like heroin, but more expensive
I’m right sick of all the jabber about all the wonderful things that giving does for the giver. Don’t get me wrong. I think that giving is beautiful. Yet, as soon as that becomes the reason you give, it becomes about 10x less beautiful to me. I think that giving because of what it does…
My personal experience with diarrhea
One of my pet peeves is when donors are determined to fight the diseases and conditions that have affected them personally. I know, this is a personal/philosophical decision, and a lot of people I respect will disagree with my take. This blog is personal and unfiltered, as you’ve been warned before. The Straw Man says,…
Politics
I used to think of myself as a “political junkie,” because I had strong opinions about what should and shouldn’t be left to the free market, what we should and shouldn’t be doing with our military, etc. At a certain point I realized that I wasn’t a political junkie, and had never been one. Political…
What’s more important?
1) Going to a top college 2) Being smart enough to get into a top college Here’s a strong case for #2. (Hat tip: Eduwonkette) Needless to say, we’re not surprised by the answer. Selection bias is a cruel mistress.
Mark Cuban
So much of what makes me passionate about this project is the feeling that the world’s best minds are just thinking about the wrong things right now. I want to show them that charity isn’t just about being “nice,” that the world’s most important problems are interesting and challenging and worthy of their attention. Mark…