Misconceptions About Effectiveness

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 5, “Misconceptions About Effectiveness,” shows that many people don’t know what it means to be effective in altruistic contexts, making their help less effective. A common misconception is that charity effectiveness is the same as low overhead costs (costs not directly associated with the charity’s programs). That’s not right since charities often need to invest (e.g., in research or infrastructure) to have an impact. Instead, one needs to look at measures of impact on the world, like the number of well-being-adjusted life years a charity or an intervention produces. Such metrics can be used to compare the effectiveness of altruistic interventions commonly thought to be incomparable. One can also use sophisticated metrics to estimate uncertain impact, a type of impact that often is underrated.