Doing Good Better by William MacAskill Summary

Doing Good Better by William MacAskill explores effective altruism, a data-driven approach to maximizing positive global impact. It introduces five questions to evaluate charitable actions, emphasizing cost-effectiveness, evidence-based solutions, and neglected areas. Examples like the failure of PlayPump and the success of deworming programs illustrate how small, strategic efforts can outperform well-intentioned but inefficient initiatives.

William MacAskill is an Oxford philosopher, co-founder of nonprofits like Giving What We Can and 80,000 Hours, and a leading figure in the effective altruism movement. He advocates for using evidence to optimize charitable giving and career choices. His other works include What We Owe The Future and Moral Uncertainty.

This book suits philanthropists, nonprofit professionals, and anyone seeking to maximize their social impact. It offers actionable frameworks for evaluating charities, career paths, and donations. MacAskill’s focus on data over intuition makes it ideal for analytical readers aiming to align their resources with high-efficacy causes.

1. Impact: How many people benefit, and by how much?
2. Effectiveness: Is this the most effective intervention?
3. Neglect: Is the cause underfunded or overlooked?
4. Counterfactuals: What would happen without your involvement?
5. Success likelihood: What’s the probability of achieving results?

These questions help prioritize actions with the greatest net benefit.

The book argues that cost-effectiveness varies drastically between interventions. For example, deworming programs improve school attendance at $3.50 per child, while textbook donations show minimal impact. MacAskill urges donors to compare outcomes per dollar, favoring initiatives like global health campaigns over feel-good projects.

MacAskill promotes “earning to give”: pursuing high-income careers to fund impactful charities. He highlights 80,000 Hours, a nonprofit he co-founded, which guides individuals toward roles in fields like AI safety or global health policy. The goal is to maximize lifetime contributions through strategic career choices.

Critics argue the book overlooks local community impact and prioritizes global-scale interventions. Some question its utilitarian focus, which may undervalue systemic change or emotional connections to causes. MacAskill acknowledges these limits but maintains that effective altruism’s principles adapt to new evidence.

• “The key question is not ‘How can I help?’ but ‘How can I help the most?’”
• “A life dedicated to doing good is a life well-lived.”

These emphasize intentionality and measurable outcomes over symbolic gestures.

Both advocate evidence-based giving, but MacAskill’s work delves deeper into career optimization and systemic neglect. While Peter Singer focuses on moral obligations, MacAskill provides frameworks for quantifying impact across donations, volunteering, and professional choices.

As global challenges like AI ethics and climate change intensify, the book’s principles help navigate complex trade-offs. Its emphasis on data and scalability aligns with growing demand for transparency in philanthropy, making it a blueprint for tackling 21st-century problems.

MacAskill highlights organizations like the Against Malaria Foundation and GiveDirectly, which excel in cost-effectiveness and rigorous evidence. He advises donors to use platforms like GiveWell to identify top-performing global health and poverty alleviation initiatives.

Effective altruism combines empathy with evidence, using tools like quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to measure impact. It prioritizes interventions that save or improve the most lives per dollar, advocating for a mindset shift from “doing good” to “doing good better”.