Are charities more effective than government?

Interesting debate. At a time of economic crisis and cuts in funding here and there, some see the evaluation of charities as legitimate.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/11/27/are-charities-more-effective-than-government

It reminds me that I should share a useful tool to check on charities registered in the US: http://www.charitynavigator.org/