Conversation

To take David's example, why focus on upgrading the laptop of an American grad student vs. giving one in another country their first computer of any quality?
4
12
Presumably in part because identifying someone in particular you know is working on important (and positive) things and is capable of meaningful progress is a huge advantage (plus zero overhead of any kind, you know what you're getting, etc)?
1
20
You are buying a fundamentally different good when you upgrade a particular local thing you know in a way you know they need, versus spending on something to spend on something elsewhere in ways you can't be confident match local conditions/needs, or what effect it will have, etc
2
29
Do you really know they need it and what effect it will have? Maybe their program would pay for it if they ask, or their parents. Maybe their current computer isn't performing bc of malware. Most people don't need to upgrade 5-yr old computers.
3
7
I accept you have better knowledge vs. the person abroad, but is it 10X better? (And send the person abroad cash if you're uncertain about needs, rather than a specific thing)
3
11
Assuming we are choosing wisely, I notice I am confused how we could not know this. Graduate work in things that actually matter, by people who have talent and drive, seems much more than 10x expected value of a random graduate student (accepting the 10:1 premise ad argumento).
1
13
(Which points out the assumption there, that the only difference in productivity of locals to me vs. those without resources to buy a laptop comes mostly or entirely from a lack of financial assets, which seems very wrong to me?)
1
8
I am positing you can't know it without more "overhead"/diligence. Maybe you already know about the importance of their work, but surely not about their alternative resource avenues or the exact details of how upgraded laptop performance *improves* their productivity from current
2
4
why do you need to know this? I don't think you would use this standard for any other decision. Part of the social signal in picking a good gift is demonstrating that you know the other person well enough to have specific insight into their needs.
To bring this back to the relevant context, this would imply that even if you somehow knew that your friend and some anonymous far away grad student were doing equally promising work, you can spend marginal purchasing power way better on your friends.
1
1
This is entirely neglecting transaction costs and risks that the gift is entirely/mostly diverted, which can often be enough on their own to overwhelm differences in $/unit purchasing power in different countries.
1
2
Show replies
Any was too strong - if there was an edit button I'd def change it. That said, I think there is a standard being applied here that's a bit strange. I wouldn't require an RCT to eg decide whether or not to hire someone. (1/2)
1
5
Show replies