Ben Chugg

GWWC Team

It’s true that political action is a necessary step towards achieving meaningful, lasting change. However, the dichotomy between political action and philanthropy is a false one. Both play an important role in improving the world, and they can be mutually beneficial.

Don’t we need political action rather than charity?

This article is part of a series addressing 

Don't we need political action rather than charity?

 is that it neglects political action and institutional change in favour of philanthropy, which can't solve the world's most fundamental problems on its own. Many argue that, rather than giving to charity, we should focus on achieving systemic change through political action.

It's true that political action can be an important step towards achieving meaningful, lasting change. However, the dichotomy between political action and philanthropy is a false one. Both play an important role in improving the world, and they can be mutually beneficial.

Giving What We Can appreciates the important need for political action. In some circumstances, political action is more appropriate and effective than donating to charity. For instance, regarding the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015, Giving What We Can Co-Founder Will MacAskill 

 that lobbying for changes in immigration policy was the most effective way to help refugees. "Donations can be helpful but are unsustainable in this instance," he wrote, "whereas political action could bring about real change." On the 80,000 Hours blog, Director of Research Rob Wiblin provides 

 of effective altruist individuals and organisations working towards systemic change.

Charity, however, can also play an important role in improving the world. It can help improve lives directly by, for example, providing support to low-income communities. There are some highly effective charities that alleviate suffering, reduce the burdens of disease, and help children receive an education. These are amazing giving opportunities, and many of them will have a lasting impact.

In order to advocate for political change, basic needs must first be met. In communities suffering from poverty and/or disease, political action is 

 to be a priority. Donations can lift individuals out of dire circumstances, giving them greater autonomy and enabling them to play a larger part in their community's politics, if they so desire. Indeed, many of the outcomes we associate with political action can be achieved by increasing the health and well-being of low-income communities.

In addition to directly helping individuals and communities, giving to charity can also support political or institutional change. Donations to advocacy organisations or campaigns, for instance, can play an important role in changing public opinion, which is frequently a necessary precursor to political mobilisation. And donating to charities that focus on public health can also have more systemic consequences, since issues with class mobility, educational access, and other similar problems are often symptoms of public health failings. 

In addition to the systemic effects of supporting poverty-alleviating interventions, there are many 

 advocating directly for institutional change. For instance, the 

 engages in legal and legislative advocacy to support climate-friendly policy change. 

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

 works with policymakers to prepare for threats to public health. 

 works with political leaders across the world to improve global nuclear policy. 

, in addition to developing and promoting alternatives to animal products, is working to secure fair policy and public funding for research to develop a more sustainable global food system.

Common Concerns About Donating to Charity

2020 has been a challenging year. However, we are at an unprecedented time in history: we can do something about the abundance of suffering around us.

When unprecedented times meet unprecedented opportunities

For many, 2020 has been a challenging year.

The global disruption wrought by the pandemic has caused loneliness, estrangement, and sorrow. We have witnessed death and injustice, poverty and sickness. It is a rare person who has been untouched by tragedy. And yet, while the pandemic has brought some of the world's suffering into sharper focus, it also reminds us of the tremendous progress we have made.

We are at an unprecedented time in history: 

We can do something about the abundance of suffering around us

For most of our story, our ability to eradicate poverty, cure disease, and save lives was devastatingly limited. We were hostages to our environments, our biology, and our traditions. Finally, trusting in our creativity, we began to develop powerful ideas on how to improve life.

 to reduce animal suffering in factory farms. We've created democratic institutions to protect the vulnerable and reduce conflict.

Naturally, our progress has not always been smooth and has required the dedication of peoples and cultures worldwide. But our efforts are highlighted in the drastic 

. These are all staggering feats of human ingenuity.

The world is getting better, and with this progress comes an incredible opportunity --- an opportunity to do an amount of good heretofore unimaginable. A life can be saved for 

, and dramatically improved for just a few hundred. By donating to 

reduce the needless suffering of animals;

The collective ability to increase flourishing at such scale is new and something to cherish.

Of course, like all our knowledge, our ideas of how to best help the world are flawed. Our reasoning is prone to error, our methods prone to failure. But it is from our mistakes that we learn and improve.

By donating to effective causes, volunteering for effective charities, or dedicating your career to solving our world's problems, you can help continue the tradition of incremental improvement. You can help to grow our collective knowledge, thereby handing the next generation a slightly better world.

As we reflect on the year, let us remind ourselves of this opportunity before us. While we should not ignore ongoing suffering, nor forget the ones we've lost, we can be grateful that there are reliable ways to help and to mitigate similar tragedies in the future. So far this December, over 300 people have 

pledged to donate a portion of their income to effective charities

. Witnessing them take this opportunity is inspiring. Let's join them and help bring about an increasingly better world.

"Finally the horizon seems clear again, even if not bright; finally our ships may set out again ... the sea, our sea, lies open again; maybe there has never been such an 'open sea'." - Nietzsche

Ben helps organise and run GWWC's monthly meetup events. He’s spent time on the executive team of both EA Oxford and EA Stanford. He’s currently a research fellow at Stanford Law School, where he works to improve governments’ use of data and algorithmics. He’s also a big fan of socks and sandals. Make sure to say "hi" at the next (Americas/Oceania) event you attend!

Ben Chugg

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Don’t we need political action rather than charity?

When unprecedented times meet unprecedented opportunities