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Ways people trying to do good accidentally make things worse, and how to avoid them | 80,000 Hours

80000hours.org · 7,742 words · saved by 1 readers

Even when you try to do good, you can end up doing accidental harm. But there are ways you can minimise the risks.

On this page: Introduction 1 Why knowing when you’re having a negative (counterfactual) impact is harder than it first seems 2 Fragile fields and where these risks are greatest 3 Ways to cause an unintended negative impact – from most to least obvious 3.1 1. You take on a challenging project and make a mistake through lack of expertise or poor judgement 3.2 2. Reputational harm 3.3 3. Resource diversion 3.4 4. Locking in suboptimal choices 3.5 5. Crowding out 3.6 6. Creating other coordination problems 4 How can you mitigate these risks? 4.1 1. Ideally, eliminate courses of action

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