Charitable giving in the United States as a percentage of national income, about 2%, is significantly higher than the comparable percentage in other rich countries. How do people decide which causes to support? One approach is “effective altruism” which focuses on what’s important (primarily saving lives, no matter where), what’s effective but neglected (saving lives in extremely poor countries), and what’s tractable (by being able to quantify the efficacy of charity). Jonathan Meer joins EconoFact Chats to discuss these tenets, the assumptions behind them, whether charity can, and should, replace the role of government assistance, and offers some critiques of effective altruism as a way to make the world a better place.

Jonathan is a Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University.