Advocates of philanthropy often frame its worth through efficacy. Critical voices counter such narratives by exposing the social construction of these ideas by hegemonic forces. But they do not interrogate concepts of efficacy through close attention to the process of doing philanthropy. To address this gap, this article engages with philanthropy through the anthropology of techniques. Based on three months of participant observation among high-net-worth donors and organizations that work with them in the City of London, I argue that attention to expedience (here referring to maximizing funding rather than effects) invigorates critical reflection on “effective philanthropy.” Furthermore, I suggest that my ethnographically informed distinction between expedience and efficacy provides me with a new way to engage with philanthropists: demonstrating the relevance of anthropological theory to their practices and concerns rather than simply criticizing them.

中文翻译：

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有效或权宜之计：市场手段和慈善技巧

慈善事业的倡导者经常通过功效来确定其价值。批判的声音通过揭露霸权力量对这些思想的社会建构来反驳这种叙述。但他们并没有通过密切关注慈善事业的过程来质疑功效的概念。为了弥补这一差距，本文通过技术人类学来探讨慈善事业。基于对伦敦金融城的高净值捐助者和与他们合作的组织进行的三个月的参与观察，我认为对权宜之计的关注（这里指的是资金最大化而不是效果最大化）激发了对“有效慈善事业”的批判性反思。 ” 此外，我建议我在方便和功效之间的人种学区分为我提供了一种与慈善家互动的新方式：