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Jeremy Heimans on Philanthropy, Civil Society & "New Power" Apr 25, 2018

Show notes

Episode 24 of the Giving Thought podcast is our first ever interview! And it is a cracker. Rhod speaks to Jeremy Heimans, co-author of bestselling book "New Power".

We discussed Jeremy and his co-author Henry Timms' thesis on why the nature of power has changed in the 21st Century and what this might mean for philanthropy and civil society.

We covered a whole range of issues including:

-the challenges of giving away power

-the benefits and downsides of decentralisation

-whether giving control to the crowd could marginalise unpopular causes

-Changing organisational culture to embrace technology

-Whether New Power provides a use case for blockchain

-Is New Power an opportunity or a threat for existing philathropic organisations?

Involuntary Philanthropy Apr 10, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, Rhod looks at whether philanthropic giving is always a choice on the part of the donor, or whether it can sometimes be compelled. Topics covered include:

-Compelled by your peers: We look at the part peer pressure plays in philanthropy, both at a micro level (i.e. the effect that "being watched" has on prompting giving) and a macro level (i.e. the notion of a social contract). We also consider a bit of history (including a scathing attack on the culture of giving in Victorian England).

-Compelled by a higher authority: We consider the role governments have played a role in shaping philanthropy through charity law: from the 1601 Statute of Charitable Uses to the emergence of "GONGOs" in modern China. We look at the idea of "percentage philanthropy", and whether it should be seen as philanthropy at all, or merely a form of tax. We also touch on obligations to give in various major religions and what role these play in driving philanthropy.

-Compelled by your own mind: We explore unusual cases of "pathological generosity", where people with brain damage find themselves compelled to give to such a degree that it can adversely affect them and their families.

Related Material

Public Good by Private Means: How Philanthropy Shapes Britain

Eye Images Increase Charitable Donations: Evidence From an Opportunistic Field Experiment in a Supermarket

So are the conditions for philanthropy improving in China or not? CAF Future World Giving blog

Explaining Percentage Philanthropy, International Centre for Nonprofit Law

Could zakat plug the gaps in humanitarian or development aid?

The Man Who Couldn't Stop Giving, The Atlantic

Is Philanthropy Progressive? Mar 27, 2018

Show notes

In episode 22, we explore whether philanthropy is progressive: i.e. is it a means for moving society forwards or a tool for defending the status quo? Including:

The case for: On what grounds can we claim that philanthropy is progressive? We look at cause areas associated with progressive ideals, and the rich history of philanthropic support for campaigning. And could the very process of philanthropy also be seen as a tool for social progress?

The case against: We ask whether conservation and heritage causes are, by definition, not progressive. We also consider the long traditional of opposition to progressive causes being supported by philanthropy; and highlight evidence that wealthier people are more likely to hold conservative political views. We also ask whether philanthropy itself undermines progress by adding to inequality and power imbalance in our society.

Remedies: What can we do to ensure philanthropy is progressive? Should this actually be a goal, or should we simply accept that philanthropy reflects the balance of views of donors? Are there ways in which we can change the mechanics of philanthropy in order to make it more democratic and thus more reflective of the views of wider society?

Related Material

-HistPhil series on philanthropy and conservatism

-"Suffragettes & Campaigning" (Extract from Public Good by Private Means: How philanthropy shapes Britain)

-PGPM Cass MSc course lecture SLIDES and NOTES

-Philanthropy: anti-democratic and proud of it?

-Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans

New Money vs. Old Money Mar 13, 2018

Show notes

In episode 21, we look at "New Money vs. Old Money", and what the difference between inherited and created wealth means for philanthropy. Topics covered include:

- Attitudes to Wealth: We explore historical and contemporary evidence to see what differences there might be in the attitudes towards wealth of those who have made or inherited money. We look at the crucial distinction between stewardship and ownership, the role of social status, and the recognition of the element of luck and the existence of a social contract.

-Future Money & Precommitment: We look at economic evidence about the power of making pledges or commitments to give at a later date, and how these best work. We highlight practical examples or pledges, such as the Giving Pledge, or the 1-1-1 corporate giving model. We also touch on the curious story of the gambling philanthropist, Baron Hirsch.

-Cryptophilanthropy? We consider whether the money being made by early adopter of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin could be harnessed for philanthropy. Does this represent a totally new form of wealth, with its own characteristics? And could this present challenges for charities trying to tap into it? What wider lessons might we learn for future fundraising?

Related material

- From HODL to GIEV? The opportunities and challenges of cryptophilanthropy

-Public Good by Private Means: How philanthropy shapes Britain

-If you're so smart, why aren't you rich? Turns out it's just chance. (MIT Technology Review article)

- Meyvis, T., Bennett, A. & Oppenheimer, D. (2011). "Precommitment to Charity" in Oppenheimer, D. ed. (2016) The Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity, Routledge.

Philanthropy, Death & Taxes (Part 2: Taxes) Feb 27, 2018

Show notes

In this week's episode (no. 20) - the second of our "Death & Taxes" two-parter, we look at the link between tax and philanthropy. Topics covered include:

Importance and Controversy: Why does tax relief on donations matter to understanding the role of philanthropy, and why has it proved controversial over the years? We touch on the current US situation in light of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and look at previous political attempts to meddle with tax breaks on donations, such as Gladstone's one-man crusade in the late C19th and George Osborne's ill-fated 2012 Budget.

Justifying Philanthropic Tax Breaks: We explore three possible theoretical justifications, based on the work of Stanford academic Rob Reich, and conclude that only one works. We then see whether any of these has been used in practice, and compare the deliberate introduction of the US Charitable Deduction with the accidental introduction of donation incentives in the UK.

Do Philanthropic Tax Breaks Work? We look at whether tax incentives on donations are actually effective. We see that there is evidence they are correlated with greater generosity, but room for debate about how they are structured and at what level they are offered. We consider the difference between credit and deduction systems. We also look at recent findings from the University of Birmingham that Gift Aid might not be that effective as an incentive, and ask what this might mean for policymaking.

Related Giving Thought (and other) content

-The Justification for Charitable Tax Breaks

-Donation States: An international comparison of the tax treatment of donations

-Gross Domestic Philanthropy: An International Analysis of GDP, Tax & Giving

-Tax Incentives for Giving are Effective, Even in Low Income Countries

-The NAO on Gift Aid and Tax Relief on Donations

-Principles of Philanthropy Policymaking lecture (SLIDES) and (NOTES)

-Unversity of Birmingham paper on price elasticity (working paper and blog)

Philanthropy, Death & Taxes (Part 1) Feb 13, 2018

Show notes

In episode 19, the first of a two-parter on "Philanthropy, Death and Taxes", Rhod looks at the influence of mortality on giving. Topics covered include:

-The History of Death & Philanthropy: how has mortality shaped modern philanthropy? We look at the pheonomenon of competitive eulogies in Tudor England, and the impact of the 1736 Statute odf Mortmain on creating a pluralist charity sector. We also consider the problems that can result from the "dead hand of the donor".

-Giving while living vs. Waiting til you are gone: We look at the shifting balance between legacy giving and giving during one's lifetime. Have recent years seen a shift towards the latter, with a growing number of spend-down foundations, the establishment of the Giving Pledge and the rise of a breed of young billionaires from Silicon Valley?

-The Future of Death: Life Extension, Digital Emulation & Wills on the Blockchain: We consider some of the ways in which new technology might solve traditional problems for philanthropy when it comes to death, but also the new challenges it might bring.

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