Wanting to do good does not necessarily mean doing good
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The TV program and community effort Scared Straight aimed to reduce juvenile delinquency in the United States. It meant that young people who had committed minor crimes were allowed to visit prisons and meet convicted criminals. The idea was that they would be discouraged by what the future awaited if they did not change their behavior. The only catch is that the initiative seems to have made the young people more likely to break the law. Every dollar spent on Scared Straight is estimated to have caused societal costs of more than $200.
… most social programs that have been properly evaluated (perhaps 75% or more) – including those backed by expert opinion and less rigorous studies – have contributed little, no, or in some cases negative impact”
-David Anderson, Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy
We are convinced that charities, private individuals and other actors working for a better world have good intentions. But good intentions do not guarantee good results . If we are not careful with how we use our limited resources, we run a greater risk of spending them on actions that sound good but have little, no, or at worst negative impact.
Of course, it is often difficult to measure and evaluate how much good different efforts are doing. But the fact that it is difficult should not inhibit our ambition to try. We’ll probably never know exactly , but educated guesses are better than arbitrariness. Trying to make rational decisions under uncertainty, in order to maximize the utility of one’s resources, is not a new idea. Governments, companies and investors do it all the time. We should strive for this even as we improve the world. At best, we can use rigorous evidence. In other cases, we have to rely on strong theoretical arguments.
Bottom line: You won’t be able to save lives by using your time and money anyway. But you can make a big difference if you choose the interventions that have the greatest effect. Donating a portion of your income to the most effective charities is an option that means most people can do a lot of good. In your career, it is important which problem and which professional role you choose. Now we will focus on the former.