We all spend way too much time preparing applications for research grants. This is a collective waste of time. For the 2019 vici grant scheme of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) in which I recently participated, 87% of all applicants received no grant. Based on my own experiences, I made a conservative calculation (here is the excel file so you can check it yourself) of the total costs for all people involved.

January 30, 11am-12pm (EST) / 5-6pm (CET) / 9-10pm (IST) Why do people give to the benefit of others – or keep their resources to themselves? What is the core evidence on giving that holds across cultures? How does giving vary between cultures? How has the field of research on giving changed in the past decades?

Dinosaurs are like magic. They capture the attention because of their size and sharp teeth. The fact they are no longer among us may also contribute to their popularity. In science, we still have dinosaurs. They do date back to the prehistoric age, when scientists could build careers on undisclosed data and procedures.

The integrity of the research process serves as the foundation for excellence in research on nonprofit and voluntary action. While transparency does not guarantee credibility, it guarantees you will get the credibility you deserve. Therefore we are developing criteria for transparency standards with regards to the reporting of methods and data.

De werkgroep Filantropische Studies van de Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is het expertisecentrum op het gebied van onderzoek naar filantropie in Nederland. De werkgroep houdt zich bezig met vragen zoals: Waarom geven mensen vrijwillig geld aan goede doelen? Waarom verrichten mensen vrijwilligerswerk? Hoeveel geld gaat er om in de filantropische sector?

We are pleased to announce that the Center for Philanthropic Studies has been able to secure funding for continued research on giving in the Netherlands. The funding enables data collection for the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey among households, as well as data collection on corporations, foundations, charity lotteries, and bequests.

Het ‘sectoronderzoek’ van Goede Doelen Nederland onder de 24 grootste goede doelen organisaties is weer verschenen.

“Thank you for your invitation to review. Did the authors provide the data and the code they have used to produce the paper? If not, can you ask them to? Please make sure that the authors have their data and code available, so that I will be able to evaluate the manuscript. Otherwise, I will have to decline.” This is my rerevised Conditional Review Acceptance Policy (CRAP – R2). In 2014, I introduced a conditional review acceptance policy.

Here’s an unusual thing for you to read: I am posting a brief description of a grant proposal that I will submit for the ‘vici’-competition of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research 2019 later this year. You can download the “pre-proposal” here. It is called “Global Giving”. With the study I aim to describe and explain philanthropy in a large number of countries across the world.

Jurgen Dhollander vroeg: “Enerzijds neemt het geefgedrag de laatste twintig jaar af, afgezet tegen het bbp. Het gaat hier dan om geven aan goede doelen. Anderzijds wordt er ook veel – ik noem het informeel – gedoneerd aan personen of ‘doelen’ dichtbij. Denk bijvoorbeeld aan crowdfunding. Zijn er cijfers bekend die enig idee geven over de grootte van deze vorm van doneren?

Economen spreken van een basisgoed als de consumptie ervan relatief gesproken afneemt met het inkomen. Dit geldt heel duidelijk voor geven aan goede doelen. Hogere inkomens en vermogens doen in euro’s meer aan filantropie, maar als deel van hun inkomen en vermogen juist minder.