The Tyranny of Generosity: Why Philanthropy Corrupts Our Politics and How We Can Fix It by Theodore M. Lechterman

The Tyranny of Generosity: Why Philanthropy Corrupts Our Politics and How We Can Fix It by Theodore M. Lechterman

Author:Theodore M. Lechterman [Lechterman, Theodore M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Political, political science, Comparative Politics
ISBN: 9780197611418
Google: mlVBEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2021-10-28T00:29:12.381561+00:00


II. The Palliative Critique: Positive Versions

Effective altruists have been especially vocal proponents of funding malaria nets and deworming initiatives, which consistently rank among the top-recommended causes of the charity evaluator GiveWell.13 Malaria and intestinal parasites still run rampant in several areas of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria remains a primary cause of death among children, while intestinal parasites, though rarely fatal, reduce quality of life and can inhibit normal functioning and development. Antimalaria bed nets and parasite-killing drugs are cheap and effective interventions. A donor can be reasonably confident that a gift to these initiatives will indeed contribute to a long-term improvement in someone’s life—a rare feat, given the uncertainty surrounding the effects of most charitable initiatives. Another top recommendation of effective altruism’s leaders is a program that provides direct cash transfers to low-income individuals, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Evaluations of this program have found that recipients tend to spend their receipts on substantial improvements to their living conditions, such as by weather-proofing their dwellings.

One of the most frequent criticisms of effective altruism is that, seen as responses to global poverty, these kinds of programs only address the symptoms of deeper structural problems.14 A growing consensus among scholars of international development is that the fundamental cause of widespread poverty is the absence of decent and stable political institutions.15 Institutions are the socially defined rules of the game that coordinate human interaction. A special subset of institutions (what Rawls refers to as the “basic structure”) serves a critical function in determining a society’s major contours and its individual members’ life prospects.16 These institutions include the political constitution and legal system, the property regime and the design of markets, the system of public finance, public health infrastructure, the education system, and social insurance schemes. They work together to define and distribute fundamental rights, duties, and opportunities. The consolidation of these critical institutions creates a social order in which individuals can interact safely, profitably, and (perhaps, in time) fairly.

Examined through the institutional lens, the prevalence of malaria and intestinal parasites isn’t merely an outcome of natural forces but a remarkable failure of public policy. In some countries with similar climates but well-functioning institutions these maladies don’t register as epidemics.17 Providing malaria nets and deworming initiatives does little to address the dysfunctional public health infrastructure that lies at the root of these epidemics. Focusing on these initiatives distracts from the urgent but thorny process of institution-building. And investing in these interventions may even work to undermine the consolidation of functioning institutions. The availability of free health services reduces pressure on the state to finance and provide public goods on its own.18 This hinders the development of effective public administration and a sustainable tax system. It lures competent professionals away from public agencies and discourages the civic participation necessary for holding the state accountable. Strikingly, GiveWell recognizes some of these risks in its analyses of its top charities, but for reasons that are unclear it fails to take them seriously.19

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