Speakers: David Reinstein (background), Peter Hickman (Coefficient Giving), Matt Lerner (Founders Pledge)
Note: This segment may have restricted recording access per speaker preference.
Overview
This opening segment sets the stage by presenting the concrete decision problems that funders face when considering wellbeing measures and self-reported data in comparing interventions (e.g., WELLBYs vs DALYs).
Stakeholder Presentations (~20 min)
Peter Hickman (Coefficient Giving) and Matt Lerner (Founders Pledge) will each deliver ~10 minutes on the practical challenges of making these comparisons from their respective organizations' perspectives, and what guidance would be most useful.
Pivotal Questions Introduction (~5 min)
We'll introduce a small number of key Pivotal Questions that frame the workshop discussion. Participants who have bandwidth are invited to record their initial beliefs before hearing the evidence presentations—this helps us track how views evolve through the workshop.
Agenda & Timing Discussion (~5 min)
Brief overview of the day's schedule, discussion format, and logistics.
🔬 The Focal Case: Mental Health vs Malaria Prevention
The practical question motivating this workshop: How should funders compare mental health interventions (StrongMinds, Friendship Bench) measured in WELLBYs against bednet distribution (AMF) measured in DALYs? HLI estimates ~47 WELLBYs per $1,000 for StrongMinds; GiveWell's analysis puts it at 5–80% as cost-effective as AMF—a 16× range driven by methodological choices.
See: Linear WELLBY Analysis (focal case box) · Unjournal: StrongMinds Evaluation · GiveWell Assessment