Comments on: Social Experiments to Fight Poverty http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty intercultural relationship stories and advice Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:22:04 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: sjtp http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4761 sjtp Sun, 23 May 2010 18:46:19 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4761 My first difficulty with justifying donating to churches as truly giving to charity is that churches offer services to the giver. We plan to financially contribute to whatever religious institutions we attend regularly, not out of fear that God will look negatively on us if we don't, but because we would be benefiting from the church/temple/center's services and would feel responsible for bearing the burden of these services, particularly if we are better off than many other members. When I pay dues to a club from which I benefit, I would not think of it as charity...I don't consider contributing to schools and police through taxes charity, either (not sure how I would feel about donating to NPR, which I enjoy regularly). This thought process all comes before thinking about how much charitable work is actually done in the local and global community by the church itself, which varies wildly. And, being in a social science as well, I fully agree that it is much too easy to do shoddy experiments or misrepresent data to trust a finding from an anonymous source. It's true of every science, but in hard sciences, at least a meter is always a meter! Social science research can be done very well, but leaves a lot more responsibility to the scientist. Back to the original topic: This video was fantastic! We enjoyed it heartily. My first difficulty with justifying donating to churches as truly giving to charity is that churches offer services to the giver. We plan to financially contribute to whatever religious institutions we attend regularly, not out of fear that God will look negatively on us if we don’t, but because we would be benefiting from the church/temple/center’s services and would feel responsible for bearing the burden of these services, particularly if we are better off than many other members. When I pay dues to a club from which I benefit, I would not think of it as charity…I don’t consider contributing to schools and police through taxes charity, either (not sure how I would feel about donating to NPR, which I enjoy regularly). This thought process all comes before thinking about how much charitable work is actually done in the local and global community by the church itself, which varies wildly.

And, being in a social science as well, I fully agree that it is much too easy to do shoddy experiments or misrepresent data to trust a finding from an anonymous source. It’s true of every science, but in hard sciences, at least a meter is always a meter! Social science research can be done very well, but leaves a lot more responsibility to the scientist.

Back to the original topic: This video was fantastic! We enjoyed it heartily.

]]> By: Gori Girl http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4616 Gori Girl Sat, 15 May 2010 01:28:13 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4616 Nope, nope, and nope. (Not that I think there's anything wrong with that last one. Just my personal choice.) Nope, nope, and nope. (Not that I think there’s anything wrong with that last one. Just my personal choice.)

]]> By: the dude is back! http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4614 the dude is back! Fri, 14 May 2010 23:33:43 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4614 So social science is bunk. And you majored in bunk science. And you smoke pot. Bad girl! So social science is bunk. And you majored in bunk science. And you smoke pot. Bad girl!

]]> By: KR http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4601 KR Fri, 14 May 2010 16:45:04 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4601 Let each one of us donate 1/4 of our income to serve the deserving needy. Income = Save+Spend+Invest+Serve (How much money has been spent on wars world wide?!!!) If the people of world are friendly with each other, much money will be saved. This can be spent on people. Let each one of us donate 1/4 of our income to serve the deserving needy.

Income = Save+Spend+Invest+Serve

(How much money has been spent on wars world wide?!!!)

If the people of world are friendly with each other, much money will be saved. This can be spent on people.

]]> By: Gori Girl http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4545 Gori Girl Wed, 12 May 2010 21:59:24 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4545 If you have links to those studies, I'd be interested in reading them (seriously). I have a standing rule, however, to not believe any research paper of a social science-y type without first doing a thorough look through it, unless I'm finding it via a source I trust (i.e. an acquaintance who studies the subject & has already vetted it, or a source like NBER). Having read through (and written) my share of economic papers, I know how easy it is to hide the stink of bad data or research methods. Depending on the church in question, I think crack might be a better choice. Or at least pot. If you have links to those studies, I’d be interested in reading them (seriously). I have a standing rule, however, to not believe any research paper of a social science-y type without first doing a thorough look through it, unless I’m finding it via a source I trust (i.e. an acquaintance who studies the subject & has already vetted it, or a source like NBER). Having read through (and written) my share of economic papers, I know how easy it is to hide the stink of bad data or research methods.

Depending on the church in question, I think crack might be a better choice. Or at least pot.

]]> By: the dude is back! http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4543 the dude is back! Wed, 12 May 2010 20:52:11 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4543 There are many studies demonstrating that even after excluding money donated to churches non-liberals come at the top. And I am no Christian. Atheist here. However, I do think that donating $100 to a church will be more useful than spending it on crack, like many liberals do. There are many studies demonstrating that even after excluding money donated to churches non-liberals come at the top.

And I am no Christian. Atheist here. However, I do think that donating $100 to a church will be more useful than spending it on crack, like many liberals do.

]]> By: Gori Girl http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4541 Gori Girl Wed, 12 May 2010 18:40:22 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4541 *wink* Economists get a bad rap - partially because of misconceptions, partially because a lot of socially-clueless people are drawn to the field, and partially because some of the rap <em>is</em> deserved - there's plenty of bad economics out there if you look. But mostly it's just eggheads being eggheads or smart people really trying to do good. (These remarks do not include macroeconomists.) *wink* Economists get a bad rap – partially because of misconceptions, partially because a lot of socially-clueless people are drawn to the field, and partially because some of the rap is deserved – there’s plenty of bad economics out there if you look. But mostly it’s just eggheads being eggheads or smart people really trying to do good.

(These remarks do not include macroeconomists.)

]]> By: Gori Girl http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4539 Gori Girl Wed, 12 May 2010 18:24:02 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4539 The problem with sort of article is that the little bullet points lack enough context to be meaningful - in particular, just discussing giving to "charity", as if all charitable giving is equal. If you give money to your church - which, as a nonprofit, is counted as charitable giving - that's all fine and dandy. Your choice & all that. But I would consider $100 given to a church as less valuable than $10 given to a targeted aid program in a developed nation. The key is <em>how</em> people are donating their time & money. That may be in the book, but it's not in the article. Also, there's the question of where the data used is from & how it is collected. Aditya and I do a fair amount of donating that we don't keep track of or claim on our tax returns, for instance. The problem with sort of article is that the little bullet points lack enough context to be meaningful – in particular, just discussing giving to “charity”, as if all charitable giving is equal. If you give money to your church – which, as a nonprofit, is counted as charitable giving – that’s all fine and dandy. Your choice & all that. But I would consider $100 given to a church as less valuable than $10 given to a targeted aid program in a developed nation. The key is how people are donating their time & money. That may be in the book, but it’s not in the article.

Also, there’s the question of where the data used is from & how it is collected. Aditya and I do a fair amount of donating that we don’t keep track of or claim on our tax returns, for instance.

]]> By: Gori Girl http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4538 Gori Girl Wed, 12 May 2010 18:12:27 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4538 As a follow-up... for the other side of things (not exactly an anti-randomized trials position, but a pointing out of its limitations) try reading <a href="http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=2478" rel="nofollow">From Poverty to Power's discussion of Duflo's talk.</a> As a follow-up… for the other side of things (not exactly an anti-randomized trials position, but a pointing out of its limitations) try reading From Poverty to Power’s discussion of Duflo’s talk.

]]> By: the dude is back! http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4526 the dude is back! Wed, 12 May 2010 02:26:12 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4526 Liberals will always help the poor -- by redistributing other people's money. When it comes to donating their own money to private charities, they are all like Joe Biden -- that cheap jerk who, despite being a millionaire, donated roughly $4000 to charity. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html Liberals will always help the poor — by redistributing other people’s money.

When it comes to donating their own money to private charities, they are all like Joe Biden — that cheap jerk who, despite being a millionaire, donated roughly $4000 to charity.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/conservatives_more_liberal_giv.html

]]> By: Tweets that mention Social Experiments to Fight Poverty | Gori Girl -- Topsy.com http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4397 Tweets that mention Social Experiments to Fight Poverty | Gori Girl -- Topsy.com Fri, 07 May 2010 14:36:45 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4397 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by manju shyam. manju shyam said: "Social Experiments to Fight Poverty" ( http://bit.ly/bN89Wc ) [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by manju shyam. manju shyam said: "Social Experiments to Fight Poverty" ( http://bit.ly/bN89Wc ) [...]

]]> By: cakerbakergirl http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4383 cakerbakergirl Fri, 07 May 2010 04:27:49 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4383 neato- thanks for the link. I'm going to pass it on to my friends. neato- thanks for the link. I’m going to pass it on to my friends.

]]> By: Jamily5 http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4338 Jamily5 Wed, 05 May 2010 21:30:40 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4338 Wow! who knew a degree in economics could be socially beneficial? (smile - not really). I find that people are usually on the extremes: won't trust an org so will keep it or just give to any org who will make them feel better about giving and less guilty for having so much and soon the ppl can feel indignant vendication that "they have given," regardless of whether their gift is really "helping." Wow! who knew a degree in economics could be socially beneficial? (smile – not really). I find that people are usually on the extremes: won’t trust an org so will keep it or just give to any org who will make them feel better about giving and less guilty for having so much and soon the ppl can feel indignant vendication that “they have given,” regardless of whether their gift is really “helping.”

]]> By: Naomi http://gorigirl.com/social-experiments-to-fight-poverty#comment-4328 Naomi Wed, 05 May 2010 15:41:20 +0000 http://gorigirl.com/?p=1580#comment-4328 THAT is truly amazing ... amazing really. Givewell is a breath of fresh air. What's NEAT is to read their "mistakes" page ... they sound like good people! Thx for sharing, J. THAT is truly amazing … amazing really. Givewell is a breath of fresh air. What’s NEAT is to read their “mistakes” page … they sound like good people!

Thx for sharing, J.

]]>