Episode 11 - Rossa O'Keeffe-O'Donovan

For part one of our eleventh episode, Asanga Seneviratne and special guest Sam Musker sit down with Rossa O’Keeffe-O’Donovan, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Oxford and chairperson of the board of One for the World, an organisation dedicated to promoting Effective Altruism. Together they introduce the concept of Effective Altruism and then discuss the intricacies of the movement, including the assumptions underpinning it, the different focuses within the movement itself, and the relative strengths and inherent biases of Effective Altruism.

"I think what effective altruism is trying to do is change how people give, change how people are trying to do good more generally, and I think we're taking a longer term perspective where we're arguing that people should try to be more analytical"

For part two of our eleventh episode, Asanga, Sam and Rossa explore how we can best measure the impact of charities, the relationship between giving and happiness and delve into veganism and animal rights.

Show Notes:

Part 1:

• One for the World (Organisation)

• Give Well (Organisation)

• Money for Good prepared by Hope Consulting (Report; see slide 41)

• Deborah Small (Researcher)

Part 2:

• The Life You Can Save by Peter Singer (Book)

• Doing Good Better by William MacAskill (Book)

• 80,000 Hours (Resource)

If you’re interested in finding out more about Rossa’s research or his work more broadly with Effective Altruism, then please be sure to visit his website.