The Nonlinear Library EA - CE-incubated tobacco & NCD policy Charity: updates, funding gap, and future plans for Concentric Policies by Yelnats T.J.
Dec 29, 2023
08:12
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: CE-incubated tobacco & NCD policy Charity: updates, funding gap, and future plans for Concentric Policies, published by Yelnats T.J. on December 29, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
Executive Summary
Tobacco is a massive global issue: 8 million annual deaths and 230 million annual DALYS (15% and 9% of global totals respectively).
There are evidence-based policies - outlined by the WHO's MPOWER framework - that countries can adopt to reduce tobacco use.
Policy advocacy for implementing MPOWER measures in neglected countries can avert DALYs with cost-effectiveness matching GiveWell's top charities.
Since starting in mid-September,
Concentric Policies has engaged with seven ministries of health, met with four, and received a partnership request from one to develop a multisectoral plan for noncommunicable diseases.
Closing our Year 1 funding gap ($21,000) is critical for building the necessary capacity to support our government advocacy plans in 2024.
About Us
Concentric Policies is a nonprofit focused on preventing and controlling noncommunicable diseases. We support the adoption of evidence-based health policies in countries underserved by large NGOs and the international community. Through collaboration with governments, civil society, and citizens, we aim to reduce the unhealthy consumption of tobacco, alcohol, sodium, and sugar. Concentric Policies provides free assistance by engaging stakeholders, strengthening the evidence base through research, and offering technical assistance throughout the policy process.
Concentric Policies was launched through
Charity Entrepreneurship, a London-based incubator that turns well-researched ideas into high-impact organizations. Charity Entrepreneurship has helped launch
over 30 charities that are now reaching over 20 million people annually with their interventions.
Problem
Annual deaths from tobacco were 6 million in 2013 and rose to 8 million before the pandemic.
Today, more people are killed annually by tobacco usage than malaria, HIV, and neonatal deaths combined… twice over.[1]
In addition, tobacco usage increases healthcare expenditures, decreases productivity, exacerbates inequality, degrades the environment, and contributes to child labor.
This
EA Forum post from World No Tobacco Day covers these harms in more detail.
Solution
The WHO's MPOWER framework provides cost-effective demand-reduction measures to help countries reduce tobacco consumption. Since MPOWER was introduced globally 15 years ago, an estimated 300 million less people are smoking than might have been if smoking prevalence had stayed the same.[2]
Tobacco taxation is the most effective (and cost-effective) intervention for reducing tobacco consumption, yet it is the most neglected intervention.[3] Tobacco has an average price elasticity in LMICs of around -0.5, meaning that for a 10% increase in the retail price of tobacco, consumption decreases by 5%.[4]
Opportunity
The number of countries that have adopted at least one MPOWER measure at the highest level of achievement has grown from 44 in 2008 to 151 in 2022. However, only a handful of nations have full compliance with MPOWER guidelines and 44 countries remain unprotected by any of the MPOWER measures.[5] Despite nearly every country signing the WHO's treaty on tobacco, only 13 nations outside of Europe meet the WHO's recommended minimum of taxing tobacco at 75% of retail value.
Since starting work in September, we have learned and reaffirmed the following:
Some governments are not aware of the potential ROI from comprehensive implementation of the MPOWER framework
Consolidated funding in the tobacco control space has led to only a dozen or so of the highest-burden countries receiving the majority of resources
Many smaller countries do not receive any attention from major tobacco control organizat...
Executive Summary
Tobacco is a massive global issue: 8 million annual deaths and 230 million annual DALYS (15% and 9% of global totals respectively).
There are evidence-based policies - outlined by the WHO's MPOWER framework - that countries can adopt to reduce tobacco use.
Policy advocacy for implementing MPOWER measures in neglected countries can avert DALYs with cost-effectiveness matching GiveWell's top charities.
Since starting in mid-September,
Concentric Policies has engaged with seven ministries of health, met with four, and received a partnership request from one to develop a multisectoral plan for noncommunicable diseases.
Closing our Year 1 funding gap ($21,000) is critical for building the necessary capacity to support our government advocacy plans in 2024.
About Us
Concentric Policies is a nonprofit focused on preventing and controlling noncommunicable diseases. We support the adoption of evidence-based health policies in countries underserved by large NGOs and the international community. Through collaboration with governments, civil society, and citizens, we aim to reduce the unhealthy consumption of tobacco, alcohol, sodium, and sugar. Concentric Policies provides free assistance by engaging stakeholders, strengthening the evidence base through research, and offering technical assistance throughout the policy process.
Concentric Policies was launched through
Charity Entrepreneurship, a London-based incubator that turns well-researched ideas into high-impact organizations. Charity Entrepreneurship has helped launch
over 30 charities that are now reaching over 20 million people annually with their interventions.
Problem
Annual deaths from tobacco were 6 million in 2013 and rose to 8 million before the pandemic.
Today, more people are killed annually by tobacco usage than malaria, HIV, and neonatal deaths combined… twice over.[1]
In addition, tobacco usage increases healthcare expenditures, decreases productivity, exacerbates inequality, degrades the environment, and contributes to child labor.
This
EA Forum post from World No Tobacco Day covers these harms in more detail.
Solution
The WHO's MPOWER framework provides cost-effective demand-reduction measures to help countries reduce tobacco consumption. Since MPOWER was introduced globally 15 years ago, an estimated 300 million less people are smoking than might have been if smoking prevalence had stayed the same.[2]
Tobacco taxation is the most effective (and cost-effective) intervention for reducing tobacco consumption, yet it is the most neglected intervention.[3] Tobacco has an average price elasticity in LMICs of around -0.5, meaning that for a 10% increase in the retail price of tobacco, consumption decreases by 5%.[4]
Opportunity
The number of countries that have adopted at least one MPOWER measure at the highest level of achievement has grown from 44 in 2008 to 151 in 2022. However, only a handful of nations have full compliance with MPOWER guidelines and 44 countries remain unprotected by any of the MPOWER measures.[5] Despite nearly every country signing the WHO's treaty on tobacco, only 13 nations outside of Europe meet the WHO's recommended minimum of taxing tobacco at 75% of retail value.
Since starting work in September, we have learned and reaffirmed the following:
Some governments are not aware of the potential ROI from comprehensive implementation of the MPOWER framework
Consolidated funding in the tobacco control space has led to only a dozen or so of the highest-burden countries receiving the majority of resources
Many smaller countries do not receive any attention from major tobacco control organizat...