2013-03-19 20:46:45 - New meta-research initiative helps to determine which charitable techniques are most effective

AidGrade, the premier academic charity evaluator, has just finished performing an open survey to help determine which aid topics they will focus on next.

The survey asked nonprofit leaders, volunteers, and the general public about which philanthropic aid topics are most in need of thorough examination and comparison. The survey will help determine which twenty fields will receive priority attention by AidGrade’s research efforts. Though other criteria such as aid flows and the number of existing relevant studies will also be used to make a final decision, this survey will play a major role in the topic selection.

The survey revealed several interesting trends. Women’s empowerment programs, mobile phones, performance pay for public servants, and sexual health education programs appear to be

the most popular aid topics for which research is needed.

“It’s exciting to see AidGrade take on aid topics like performance pay for public servants,” explains effective altruism analyst Eric Herboso. “So very few resources are allocated to meta-research on which charitable techniques are most efficient, so there is a strong chance that the work AidGrade does on these issues will give us new insight into which charities truly are the most effective at making the world a better place.”

The survey listed the following topics as the most popular:

• Women's empowerment programs
• Mobile phones
• Performance pay for public servants
• Sexual health education programs
• Property rights reforms
• Vocational training programs
• Birth control programs
• Prenatal care programs
• Improved seed programs
• HIV/AIDS education programs

About AidGrade

AidGrade improves the effectiveness of development efforts by understanding and encouraging what works using rigorous, actionable and engaging evidence. Its research empowers donors to make an educated choice when giving to aid programs. Visit aidgrade.org to get involved.

For more information, or to schedule an interview, please e-mail Eric Herboso at eherboso@aidgrade.org.