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Overcoming Bias Commenter's avatar

Mary, I'm pretty sure that the nonstandard conclusion Robin is hinting at is more "charity is bad" than "information is bad". (Of course both of those, as they stand, are too simplistic.)

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Overcoming Bias Commenter's avatar

Why do you think it’s overly pessimistic rather than appropriately pessimistic?Hm, I'm not sure. I guess it depends on context. You're right that eaten food can't be stolen, but theft is a crime, and the better response to crime could be better law enforcement rather than more paternalism. Aid often fails because there is no feedback link between the donors (who have the financial power) and the beneficiaries (who are often passive recipients). This is one of the reasons why infrastructure projects are built, but then not maintained, compare this TED talk:

http://www.ted.com/talks/da...

Money is the unit of caring. Giving to the poor directly can be more effective if the poor have a minimum understanding of their own good, and theft is contained. The advantage is that the beneficiaries themselves are empowered (they can decide to whom to give the money).

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