Does political giving make a difference?

Political giving can sometimes influence outcomes, but its effectiveness varies. For example, Dwarkesh Patel discussed a specific case where $12 million was donated to a congressional candidate focused on pandemic preparedness. Despite the significant contribution, the candidate lost. Patel noted that this didn't drastically change his views on the efficacy of political donations overall, although it did provide some micro-level updates on specific factors within the race 1.

Additionally, Patel highlighted that there might be diminishing or even negative marginal returns from one donor giving large sums to a single candidate. The decision to give politically versus directly funding initiatives depends on factors such as scale and the need for international cooperation. For instance, pandemic prevention requires tens of billions of dollars and international coordination, which is challenging to manage through private funding alone 1.