Economic Justice Beyond Utility Maximization

While effective altruism often pursues maximum good per dollar, Zera Yacob's engagement with economic justice raises a crucial question: does utility maximization address root causes of poverty and injustice, or merely symptoms? Yacob lived under oppressive systems and understood that true dignity requires more than charity—it requires structural change and participation. This concept invites effective altruists to distinguish between interventions that optimize individual outcomes and those that transform the systems generating need. A Yacobite perspective suggests that effective altruism should examine whether its cause areas inadvertently reinforce donor control, paternalism, or dependence. Economic justice, in this tradition, means ensuring that altruistic work builds recipient autonomy and agency, not just welfare metrics. This reframes effectiveness: truly effective giving might mean supporting movements for systemic change rather than funding isolated interventions.