Definition
The Neglectedness Multiplier is a concept in Effective Altruism used to prioritize cause areas. It states that the “marginal impact” of an additional resource (dollar or hour) is generally higher in areas that are currently neglected by the rest of the world.
Why It Matters
In effective altruism, the value of your contribution is higher in fields that are currently neglected. If everyone follows the ‘trendy’ cause, the marginal utility of your dollar or hour drops to zero. Finding the neglected gaps is how you achieve 10x or 100x impact.
Core Concepts
- The ITN Framework: Neglectedness is one of the three pillars of cause prioritization:
- Importance (Scale): How much good would be done if the problem was solved?
- Tractability (Solvability): How much progress can we actually make?
- Neglectedness: How many resources are already being spent on this?
- Diminishing Returns: As more resources are poured into a cause, the “low-hanging fruit” is picked first. The 1st million dollars solves the most obvious problems; the 100th million dollars solves much harder, marginal ones.
- The Multiplier Effect: By moving resources from a “crowded” cause to a “neglected” one, you can often achieve 10x or 100x more impact for the same cost.