Inside the cost-effectiveness model

Singer described how GiveWell found that some charities save lives for $3,000–5,000 while others cost far more. But where do those numbers actually come from?

Behind every GiveWell recommendation is an explicit cost-effectiveness model—a spreadsheet that breaks down every assumption and calculation. Understanding how these models work helps you read cost-effectiveness claims critically. In your workbook exercises, you’ll open one of these models and trace through it yourself.

Read: GiveWell, “How we use cost-effectiveness estimates” (5 mins) https://www.givewell.org/how-we-work/our-criteria/cost-effectiveness/cost-effectiveness-models