Use our shared Google Doc for substantive notes, questions, and discussion during and after the workshop.
🔬 The Focal Case: Comparing StrongMinds/Friendship Bench (WELLBYs) vs AMF bednets (DALYs)—a 16× cost-effectiveness range driven by methodological choices. Read the detailed analysis →
📝 Where to contribute your thoughts — click for guidance
- During live sessions: Google Doc tabs for substantive notes and questions (Zoom chat is for organizer announcements only)
- Before/after sessions: Hypothes.is annotations on workshop pages for detailed feedback on specific content
- Beliefs elicitation: Submit your calibrated probabilities on the Pivotal Questions
All contributions will be consolidated post-workshop. Questions? Email david.reinstein@unjournal.org
Workshop Segments
Each segment has its own discussion space with collaborative notes (Google Doc). Click a segment to view details and join the discussion.
Stakeholder Problem Statement & Pivotal Questions
Stakeholders present their WELLBY/DALY challenges (~10 min each), intro to key PQs (~5 min), plus agenda/timing discussion (~5 min). Intro slides
Speakers: David Reinstein (intro/background), Peter Hickman (Coefficient Giving), Matt Lerner (Founders Pledge)
WELLBY Reliability Discussion
Is the linear WELLBY a useful and reliable measure for cross-intervention comparison? Previews key literature including Benjamin et al.
Presenter: Matt Lerner (Founders Pledge) · Discussant: Caspar Kaiser (U of Warwick)
DALY/QALY↔WELLBY Conversion
Approaches to interconvertibility between health and wellbeing measures
Presenter: Samuel Dupret (Happier Lives Institute) · Discussion Lead: Julian Jamison
Brief: The Unjournal & Pivotal Questions
Reinstein recaps/explains the Unjournal prioritization and evaluation process and our Pivotal Questions initiative
Speaker: David Reinstein
Research Presentation: Benjamin et al.
Scale-use heterogeneity findings, calibration methods, and implications for WELLBY measurement. Slides
Speakers: Dan Benjamin (UCLA/NBER), Miles Kimball (CU Boulder)
Evaluator Responses & Discussion
Evaluation findings and technical research issues, author dialogue. Caspar's slides
Presenters/Discussants: Caspar Kaiser, David Reinstein, Valentin Klotzbücher
Beliefs Elicitation
Explains belief elicitation methods and interfaces, then participants complete self-guided form and Metaculus questions. Breakout discussions encouraged.
Presenters: David Reinstein, Ori Heffetz (Cornell)
Practitioner Panel & Open Discussion
Brief presentations (~10 min each) on practical implications, reaction/discussion to workshop content, followed by open Q&A. A private follow-up discussion among heavily involved participants will follow.
Panelists: Matt Lerner (FP), Peter Hickman (CG) · Discussant: Ori Heffetz
📚 Background Documents
These analysis pages map the key issues, assumptions, and evidence—helping us get on the same page before discussion. You may find these helpful background for segments 2 & 3.
Cardinality, neutral point, shifters vs. stretchers, Bond & Lang critique
📄 DALY↔WELLBY ConversionEmpirical anchors (5–10 WELLBYs per QALY), conceptual issues
AI-assisted drafts (Mar 2026) — annotate errors directly on the pages.
Related Resources
Other Pivotal Questions Workshops
About this page
Some content on these workshop pages was drafted with AI assistance based on our own source materials, notes, and research. We've reviewed it carefully, but errors or unclear passages may remain. If you spot anything incorrect or confusing, please let us know—ideally via a Hypothes.is annotation on the relevant passage, or by emailing contact@unjournal.org.