“Doing Prioritization Better” by arvomm, David_Moss, Hayley Clatterbuck, Laura Duffy, Derek Shiller, Bob Fischer

<p data-internal-id="h.rmm5ge7xz71e">Or on the types of prioritization, their strengths, pitfalls, and how EA should balance them</p><p> </p><p> The cause prioritization landscape in EA is changing. Prominent groups have shut down, others have been founded, and everyone is trying to figure out how to prepare for AI. This is the first in a series of posts examining the state of cause prioritization and proposing strategies for moving forward.</p><h3 data-internal-id="Executive_Summary">&nbsp;</h3><h3 data-internal-id="Executive_Summary">Executive Summary</h3><ul> <li> Performing prioritization work has been one of the main tasks, and arguably achievements, of EA.</li><li> We highlight three types of prioritization: Cause Prioritization, Within-Cause (Intervention) Prioritization, and Cross-Cause (Intervention) Prioritization.</li><li> We ask how much of EA prioritization work falls in each of these categories:<ul> <li> Our estimates suggest that, for the organizations we investigated, the current split is 89% within-cause work, 2% cross-cause, and 9% cause prioritization.</li><li> We then explore strengths and potential pitfalls of each level:<ul> <li> Cause [...]</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul> <p>---</p><p><strong>Outline:</strong></p><p>(00:37) Executive Summary</p><p>(03:09) Introduction: Why prioritize? Have we got it right?</p><p>(05:18) The types of prioritization</p><p>(06:54) A snapshot of EA</p><p>(16:45) The Types of Prioritization Evaluated</p><p>(16:57) Cause Prioritization</p><p>(20:56) Within-Cause Prioritization</p><p>(25:12) Cross-Cause Prioritization</p><p>(30:07) Summary Table</p><p>(30:53) What factors should push us towards one or another?</p><p>(37:27) Possible Next Steps</p><p>(39:44) Conclusion</p><p>(40:58) Acknowledgements</p><p>(41:01) en-US-AvaMultilingualNeural__ Modern geometric logo design with text RETHINK PRIORITIES</p><p>(41:55) Appendix: Strengths and Pitfalls of Each Type</p><p>(42:07) Within-Cause Prioritization Strengths</p><p>(42:12) Decision-Making Support</p><p>(42:37) Comparability of Outputs</p><p>(44:18) Disciplinarity Advantages</p><p>(45:45) Responsiveness to Evidence</p><p>(46:48) Movement Building</p><p>(48:06) Within-Cause Prioritization Weaknesses and Potential Pitfalls</p><p>(48:12) Responsiveness to Evidence</p><p>(50:54) Decision-Making Support</p><p>(52:45) Cross-Cause Prioritization Strengths:</p><p>(53:06) Decision-Making Support</p><p>(54:49) Responsiveness to Evidence</p><p>(56:08) Movement Building</p><p>(56:22) Comparability of Outputs</p><p>(56:45) Decision-Making Support</p><p>(57:14) Cross-Cause Prioritization Weaknesses and Potential Pitfalls</p><p>(57:20) Comparability of Outputs</p><p>(58:01) Disciplinarity Advantages</p><p>(58:41) Movement Building</p><p>(59:09) Decision-Making Support</p><p>(01:00:27) Cause Prioritization Strengths</p><p>(01:00:32) Decision-Making Support</p><p>(01:02:01) Responsiveness to Evidence</p><p>(01:02:52) Movement Building</p><p>(01:03:28) Cause Prioritization Weaknesses and Potential Pitfalls</p><p>(01:04:28) Decision-Making Support</p><p>(01:06:08) Responsiveness to Evidence</p> <p><i>The original text contained 23 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.</i> </p><p>---</p> <p><b>First published:</b><br/> April 16th, 2025 </p> <p><b>Source:</b><br/> <a href="https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/doing-prioritization-better-2?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/doing-prioritization-better-2</a> </p> <p>---</p> <p>Narrated by <a href="https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=ea_forum&utm_campaign=ai_narration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TYPE III AUDIO</a>.</p> <p>---</p><div style="max-width: 100%";><p><strong>Images from the article:</strong></p><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/wnuuouqufigbeknobzj2" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/wnuuouqufigbeknobzj2" alt="A diagram where the left pie chart represents an altruistic space of interest, three regions represent causes that partition the space, and dots represent interventions within that cause. __T3A_FOOTNOTE_REMOVED__ The diagram illustrates cause prioritization, cross-cause prioritization, and within-cause prioritization. In reality, causes needn't be mutually exclusive or exhaustive, as this particular illustration suggests." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/suqud8oomm9hznp9f2m1" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/suqud8oomm9hznp9f2m1" alt="Comparison table showing strengths and weaknesses of different cause prioritization approaches." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/ka7irkwy6ehaf2njieoa" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/ka7irkwy6ehaf2njieoa" alt="Comparison table showing "Disciplinarity Advantages" and "Movement Building" characteristics with trend indicators." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/yLzHyDvfR6skhwLcZ/lv0wnokrpgnm2yaov9gt" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/yLzHyDvfR6skhwLcZ/lv0wnokrpgnm2yaov9gt" alt="Modern geometric logo design with text "RETHINK PRIORITIES"" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/9beb9be035e2a98df254271dd2991b028548597cccd3db360bffb554df8f0473/devbxzza81gktudcibca" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/9beb9be035e2a98df254271dd2991b028548597cccd3db360bffb554df8f0473/devbxzza81gktudcibca" alt="Pie chart titled "Snapshot of EA through the Prioritisation Types' Lens" showing distributions." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/qnkehsixaiphx3q9omyj" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/qnkehsixaiphx3q9omyj" alt="Graph showing three prioritization approaches: Cause, Cross-Cause, and Within-Cause Prioritisation." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/v12vs8bfhfu2xxkcooux" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/v12vs8bfhfu2xxkcooux" alt="Collection of philanthropy and charitable organization logos including GiveWell and EA Funds." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/xxro3fi5paq5x5agagmo" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/xxro3fi5paq5x5agagmo" alt="Eight icons with explanatory text about different cause prioritization strategies. This format provides clear decision-making principles through numbered points 1-8, using simple icons (split blocks, checkmark, arrow, dots, book, shield, globe, and piggy bank) to represent each concept." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><hr style="margin-top: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px;" /><a href="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/sjfd7dryzuyxnenthu2k" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/cea/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mirroredImages/ZPdZv8sHuYndD8xhJ/sjfd7dryzuyxnenthu2k" alt="Violin plots comparing impact variation between GCR and GHD in two scenarios. This statistical visualization shows two scenarios with different patterns of variation in impact metrics, using violin plots to display the distribution of data points between GCR (Global Catastrophic Risks) and GHD (Global Health and Development) causes." style="max-width: 100%;" /></a><p><em>Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try <a href="https://pocketcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pocket Casts</a>, or another podcast app.</em></p></div>