Are billionaire philanthropists uniquely good for society? Not always, writes David Callahan in The Givers. The author argues that while the decision to spend massive amounts of money on causes ranging from curing disease to remaking public education may seem wholly positive, megafoundations with recognizable names can have undemocratic effects. “If you don’t favor same-sex marriage or charter schools or shutting down coal plants,” he writes, “you might not be too thrilled with how some billionaires have been deploying their money — subsidized, I should add, by your own tax dollars,” since donations even to foundations that specifically work to shape policy are often deductible. At issue for Callahan is not so much the impulse to give but outdated government incentives to mix giving with advocacy. This amounts, he says, to the wealthiest people having a louder voice than ordinary citizens.
This appears in the April 24, 2017 issue of TIME.
- The Biggest Moments From the Second Republican Debate
- Rooftop Solar Power Has a Dark Side
- Death and Desperation Take Over the World's Largest Refugee Camp
- Right-Wing's New Aim: a Parallel Economy
- Is It Flu, COVID-19, or RSV? Navigating At-Home Tests
- Kerry Washington: The Story of My Abortion
- How Canada and India's Relationship Crumbled
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
