Moreintelligentlife.com is the website of Intelligent Life magazine. Articles about Arts, Lifestyle, Travels, and Ideas

A recruitment mogul has a new job: helping charities. Jasper Rees meets Alec Reed, and learns more about the Big Give: a one-stop shop for online giving ...  read more »

"I might know about economics and finance, but I know nothing of what it's like to be a homeless single mother", observes an economics writer on Economist.com. Providing financial-literacy training at a local homeless shelter is an education for everyone ...  read more »

MAKING PHILANTHROPY CONTAGIOUS | October 16th 2008

A pop superstar is trying to take North
American philanthropy south, with help from some plutocratic hangers-on, such as Carlos Slim Helú and members of the golden Buffett clan. Matthew Bishop joins them ...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, Autumn 2008

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GIVING IT AWAY | August 19th 2008

American-style philanthropy is finally catching on in Europe. Matthew Bishop explains ...

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, Summer 2008

A couple of hundred wealthy continental Europeans gathered in the achingly modern Philharmonie concert hall in Luxembourg on April 23rd. The reason? To discuss "seizing the opportunity for philanthropy" in a country traditionally known for helping the rich to keep more of their money from the tax man, not for encouraging them to give it away. Even the prime minister showed up, promising new laws to help turn Luxembourg into a centre for European philanthropy.  read more »

ALLISON SCHRAGER | THE MICROPHILANTHROPIST | June 24th 2008

cloneofsnake/flickr 

America has 3,800 animal shelters, but only 1,500 for battered women. Puppies are blameless and easy to care for; people are more complicated. Allison Schrager, an economist, examines our inclination to help animals over our own species ...

Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE

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ALLISON SCHRAGER | THE MICROPHILANTHROPIST | May 24th 2008

mahalie/flickr

Smarting from a reader's complaint that she lacked a sense of community, Allison Schrager goes hunting for useful ways to donate her time. Maybe there's something to this whole volunteer-work thing after all?

Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE

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CHARITY, EXTRAVAGANTLY | April 17th 2008

melalouise/Flickr

Black-tie philanthropy is part of charity, but Matthew Bishop has spotted rivalry, too. Lavish galas are a way for hedge-fund tycoons to one-up each other. So what does a recession year do to all of this conspicuous giving? 

From INTELLIGENT LIFE magazine, Spring 2008  read more »

ALLISON SCHRAGER | THE MICROPHILANTHROPIST | February 22nd 2008

ajps/Flickr

When a friend suggests they help clean up a park, Allison Schrager politely declines. "Why would I spend three hours of my time picking up trash?" As a professional, it makes more sense to donate what her time is worth ...

Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE

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ALLISON SCHRAGER | THE MICROPHILANTHROPIST | January 17th 2008

People can give for selfish reasons. Sometimes that matters. Take the college alumnus who gives to ease his son's admission--and so undermines the meritocracy for which the school is prized ...

Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE  read more »

ALLISON SCHRAGER | THE MICROPHILANTHROPIST | January 7th 2008

squacco/Flickr

When making holiday gifts, we spend small sums of money to buy shows of affection. But find a mechanism by which others can benefit from the transaction, and we have, with luck, increased the sum of human happiness ...

Special to MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE

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