Doing Good Better: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of Doing Good Better, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
Good intentions are not enough
MacAskill opens with the story of PlayPumps, merry-go-rounds designed to pump water in African villages.
They attracted praise and funding but worked worse than ordinary pumps, showing that well-meant projects can fail.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Ask five key questions
MacAskill offers five questions for doing good: how many people benefit and by how much, is this the most effective thing you can do, is the area neglected, what would have happened otherwise and what are the chances of success.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Measure benefits carefully
MacAskill explains measures like quality-adjusted life years, which estimate how much a health programme improves lives.
Such measures help compare very different programmes. Numbers make comparisons possible. Comparison becomes fairer.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Some programmes are amazingly effective
MacAskill describes programmes like deworming schoolchildren, which can be very cheap yet improve health and school attendance.
He argues that the best opportunities can be far more effective than average.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Overheads tell little
MacAskill argues that judging charities by how much they spend on administration is misleading.
What matters is how much good they achieve. Impact is the real test. Results matter more.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Sweatshops can be better than alternatives
MacAskill controversially argues that boycotting sweatshop goods may hurt workers whose other options are worse.
He urges looking at real alternatives. Good intentions must be checked against real consequences for workers.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Careers can do good
MacAskill suggests choosing careers that maximise positive impact, either directly or through earning to give.
He helped found an organisation advising on such choices. Work is a big lever. Choose it wisely.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Neglected areas offer opportunities
MacAskill argues that neglected problems often offer the greatest chance to make a difference.
Extra resources go further where few are working. Crowded causes offer less extra impact. Look where others don't.
Get one idea like this every daySwipe through ideas, go deeper on any of them, and save the ones that matter. Free.
Read Doing Good Better in the app