Humans are hard-wired to help others, and this is a serious problem. The rush of dopamine—the “helper’s high”—that people get when they render assistance combines with the human psychology of confirmation bias to divert them from learning if they have done any real good. Professor Nielson reports some successes but also many failures in encouraging private companies, non-governmental organizations, and governments to rigorously evaluate their charity efforts.
Daniel Nielson is Professor of Government and Co-Director of Innovations for Peace and Development at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a co-founder and former Chief Social Scientist of AidData and a former professor of political science at Brigham Young University. He performs field experiments on international development and anti-corruption.
Part of the Kennedy Center's Winter 2022 lecture series, “Engaging Global Inequality.”