Deena Mousa: How Much Is A Life Worth? Effective Philanthropy, AI For Good & Global Health

How do you put a price tag on a human life?

It sounds like a cold question, but for grant makers, it is the necessary calculus of doing good. In this episode, Ben sits down with Deena Mousa (Open Philanthropy, Coefficient Giving) to discuss the difficult frameworks used to allocate finite resources.

"Every time you choose whether to take a more dangerous job at a higher wage... you are implicitly putting a price on how much you value a year of your life."

We dive into the "Coefficient Dollar," the complexities of measuring pain, and why government procurement might be the world's most underrated problem.

WE COVER:

• The Calculus of Altruism: Using "revealed preference" to value a year of life

• The Pain Paradox: Why health models struggle to measure suffering

• AI for Good: "AI washing" vs. actual capacity building

• Systemic Bottlenecks: Why boring process fixes beat flashy policies

• Life Advice: Why you should ignore advice that resonates too much

"Often, the people listening to a piece of general advice are exactly the group of people that should be doing the opposite."

Contents:

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:17 Valuing Life and Health
• 05:46 Challenges in Measuring Pain and Health Outcomes
• 13:32 Creative Process and Research Methodology
• 18:38 Journey and Early Experiences
• 22:23 Debate on International Aid and USAID
• 29:20 Impact of AI in Global Health and Development
• 36:25 Overrated or Underrated
• 44:59 Exciting Projects and AI for Good
• 46:14 Balancing Cause Areas and Funding Decisions
• 58:31 Advice for Aspiring Philanthropists and Innovators