With the publication of
The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time
just a few years ago, Jeffrey Sachs estimated that it would take annual donations of 135 to 190 billion dollars by rich countries to eradicate poverty by 2025. Those were the UN Millenium Development Goals of 2000. But much has happened since then. Economic development has accelerated and not because of development aid, it was mostly due to globalization or market forces. The unfortunate by-product of this development has been enviromental stress. In order to continue development in a sustainable way and also reach areas of sub-Sahara Africa, the price tag will go up. According to Sachs, it will now require 840 billion dollars or about 2.4 percent of rich-world income. This is still a bargain when one considers the alternative.
Sachs is obviously a liberal with a grandiose plan that many will call utopian. He has been famously criticized by conservatives such as William Easterly in
The White Man's Burden
. Conservatives are not keen on large-scale plans in general, and they are generally cynical about what governments and humanitarian aid agencies can accomplish. However, in spite of their differences, Sachs and Easterly share some common ground. They both believe that small targeted projects that are either monitored or bypass corrupt government officials can be effective. Sachs is at his best when he draws on work done at the Earth Institute, of which he is director. The scientific farming techniques that he advocates are essential to the survival of the human race that is becoming predominantly urban.
Eradicating poverty is in everyone's interest since it slows down population growth. If the global population continues to grow at its current rate, reaching 10 billion at mid-century, our resources will be depleted. It is unrealistic for national governments or international organizations to try and control population growth. Only with economic security and widely distributed wealth will populations levels stabalize.
Sachs argues in the final chapter (The Power of One) that global cooperation is needed to solve the problems of poverty, overpopulation, pandemics, pollution, climate change, and scarcities of water, arable land and resources. This sounds naive and utopian but it is also true. National governments, however, will only be looking at their own short-term interests. But as environmental catastrophes start to mount, whether it's food shortages or rising sea-levels, governments will take action, but by then it might be too late.
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Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet Paperback – February 24, 2009
by
Jeffrey D. Sachs
(Author)
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In Common Wealth, Jeffrey D. Sachs-one of the world's most respected economists and the author of The New York Times bestseller The End of Poverty- offers an urgent assessment of the environmental degradation, rapid population growth, and extreme poverty that threaten global peace and prosperity. Through crystalline examination of hard facts, Sachs predicts the cascade of crises that awaits this crowded planet-and presents a program of sustainable development and international cooperation that will correct this dangerous course. Few luminaries anywhere on the planet are as schooled in this daunting subject as Sachs, and this is the vital product of his experience and wisdom.
- Print length386 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication dateFebruary 24, 2009
- Dimensions1 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100143114875
- ISBN-13978-0143114871
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Jeffrey Sachs Critique
To start off this paper I would like to say a couple things about myself with regards to Jeffrey Sachs's book Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet. I think that the environment is a major problem in today's world, furthermore I believe that global poverty and overpopulation are also issues, the difficulty I have with Jeffrey Sachs's book, aside from his solutions, is the degree of severity of these issues. Sachs argues that the biggest issues facing the world during the 21st century are environmental degradation, overpopulation and extreme poverty, which is coupled and compounded by an ineffectual international system. Rather I believe that the major issues facing us today instead stem from the developed nations and the economy.
Jeffrey Sachs first identifies greenhouse gasses as a major concern, and how the world is approaching thresholds that will be increasingly difficult to come back from. He also ties these exponential rises in CO2 to the increasingly severe weather seen around the world, in heat waves, droughts and hurricanes. To combat this rise in greenhouse gasses Sachs goes with the standard, "stop deforestation", "cleaner electricity", and "reduce car emissions", but the way he suggests to do some of these things is somewhat odd. On deforestation he proposes to pay land owners in critical areas of the developing world, such as the Amazon to not cut down their trees. With regards to electricity and automobile emissions, Sachs advocates for a very centralized approach where we use clean electricity to power most if not all facets of our lives. Both of these cases looks fabulous on paper, but the real world is a far stretch from the hypotheticals of the pen. Paying foreign land owners to not deforest their own land is a tough sell not only to the taxpayers but also to the foreign government where said land resides. One has to have heavy international cooperation, which is difficult to come by and even more difficult to maintain, for a long term solution. There is a similar problem with cleaner electricity using plug in cars and electric heating in that on top of moving nearly all of our power to clean sources; it would require a major overhaul of the electrical grid, just to allow for the very high required output.
At the same time, even if the above problems are dealt with, there is the fact that any effort to minimize climate change does not work unless all nations, both developing and developed, work together cohesively towards mitigation. In a global economy companies can simply move to foreign nations that do not have as harsh environmental controls, resulting in no overall mitigation and a transfer of jobs out of the countries that attempt to mitigate climate change. The Kyoto protocols, which Jeffrey Sachs quotes often, ignore this fact, based upon the correct idea that developing nations, such as China, cannot handle and would be completely unwilling to take on the extra burdens of carbon emission controls. This is best exampled when Canada left the Kyoto protocols in Dec. of 2011 citing the fact that "we do not agree with a protocol that only controls a little bit of global emissions, not enough to actually make any difference but enough to transfer Canadian jobs overseas."
Truthfully I do not believe that the mitigation of climate change will ever find significant progress through the Kyoto protocol or anything like it. What Jeffrey Sachs either doesn't realize, or more likely, conveniently forgets (though he does make a haphazard attempt touch on it later) is that western governments' objective, for better or worse, is first and foremost about getting reelected. This political reality unfortunately does not translate well into long term solutions for a nation, and instead emphasizes short term gains. At the same time one must remember that climate change cannot be quantified. It is an unknown variable, even when taking climate change to be 100% manmade there is no absolute, no undeniable statement of "if such and such does not occur then this will happen." At best we are given general statements that there would be changes, most of which would be bad. Politicians do not work well with uncertainty like this, especially in areas where they must rely on others for knowledge. The current political system can easily understand the uncertainties due to extremists, dictators, and the masses, because to be elected politicians must understand humans; however the cold and unfeeling power of nature and climate change is so far outside of current politicians' experience that they are ill-equipped to put climate change forth as a true national agenda. This is a situation unique to environmental issues, unlike other esoteric and difficult to understand fields, such as finance, military, and industry, where individuals regularly transfer into the political system, environmentalists have no direct route from tree-hugging to being politicians.
In the end the current environmental movement, like all things in a democratic state is driven by the electorate who, unfortunately, are more distractible than toddlers, and are reliant on the candidates to bring up the issues that of the greatest concern. Politicians won't set a complex issue such as climate change as a central issue to their campaign, not only because they are not qualified to talk on the matter but also because it is difficult to propose. Perhaps in 20 years climate change will flood half of Florida but because of the fact that this dire consequence is an uncertain estimate of the distant future (at least in political terms) the electorate does not care. Especially when compared with the ability to get a job and feed your family for the next year, in tough economic times or, when economic times are good, lower taxes and a purchase of a new TV.
Another major point of Sachs is that global population growth needs to stabilize to maintain the availability of scarce resources, to ensure continued economic development, and to maintain "global political stability" (pg. 185) where Sachs points to developing Africa as the major issue. Sachs argues that a reduction in fertility rates will lead to less regional instability due to resource scarcity, and the fact that the population will be on average older, they will also be not as easily swayed and made to dance to the tunes of popular figures. Along a similar line of thought Jeffrey Sachs puts forward that the reduction and elimination of poverty traps should be a major goal of any forward looking developed nation. He then Logically goes on to explain that this would curb terrorist extremist groups' ability to recruit leading to enhanced security at home, as well as increased prosperity and greater wealth for all in the long run.
Compared to his solutions for climate change Sachs's answers to stabilize the world population are much more filled out. His states family planning, contraceptives and even abortion, as needed options to combat this growth, going on to make a convincing case that a cut in infant mortality will also decrease the birth rate. This is one of Sachs's strongest points in the book and one that I generally agree on, though one must wonder if he underestimates the strong religious and pro-natal groups that have a presence in Africa. At the same time I find his arguments towards eliminating poverty traps to also be fairly well thought out. The question for me is whether these issues are large enough for governments to interfere and while Jeffrey Sachs would certainly say yes I say no.
The first thing that one has to remember before delving into this argument is "what is the role of government in most developed nations?" I would say to protect the interests of their own people. If people are starving in poverty trap in a foreign country other governments should not feel any obligation to minimize this. Any humanitarian aid to foreign nations needs to be weighed dollar for dollar against what the donating nation gains, whether they gain an increased presence in a particular region or something else. Jeffrey Sachs says that what we gain (safety from terrorism and a more prosperous world) is worth the 280 billion in expenditure (pg. 311). Sachs argues that the cost of this investment could be spread amongst the wealthier nations and that this high annual cost would merely be a temporary kick starter for economic development in subsistence economies making long-term costs null (pg. 12). He then goes on to expound on the benefits of the millennium villages.
At first glance this looks like a no brainer, less poverty equals less anger equals less terrorism equals happier world, and to a degree this is probably the case. What I question is the feasibility of what is essentially a plan to industrialize the world. The first issue I see is the obvious one that any development using public funds will not only require a relatively responsible government and a willing population but also will have to have at least some ability to align culturally with the donor nation(s). Governments are not going to invest billions to minimize poverty in a region without some assurances that the money will be well spent. The second issue I see here is natural resources, and future instabilities. For all the problems with developing nations I fear that industrialization will just trade one problem for another much worse one. No matter how one looks at it terrorism will never be a credible threat to the sovereignty of the United States or other nations. Five thousand people dead in a plane crash in New York compared to forty-five thousand dead annually due to gun crime, the number five thousand is insignificant. A modern resource war, on the other hand, between developed nations in Africa to maintain their economic development, now that is scary.
Lastly I question the intelligence of forcing farmers and agriculture in the developing world to rely on expensive genetically modifies crops and fossil fuel based fertilizers which he advocates with the millennium villages. Even If we assume that they use these technological advancements responsibly and do not over nitrogenize the soil, then farmer will be relying on prohibitively expensive solutions to maintain crop yields. While theoretically genetically modified crops could be priced based on what the consumers can pay, nitrogen fixation, the centerpiece of modern agriculture, is tied to fossil fuels, natural resources that are becoming increasingly rare and thus more expensive, especially in developing nations that do not have a developed energy sector. This would require long term subsidizing of foreign farmers, which is not a reasonable possibility.
This moves into the final blatant leap of logic in Sachs' arguments, which is how this will be accomplished. Sachs argues for the need for "global participation in global problem solving" (pg 295) yet the only way he proposes to accomplish this is through the establishment of "global funds" that would provide a "highly visible [Places] where governments could seek help." (pg. 300) This of course brings about the question of who looks over these solutions, is it the U.N.? He establishes that the UN needs to be revamped and we cannot work under the current scheme, we need "global legislation" (pg. 334). It seems to me that Sachs is hinting at a supranational authority, but not going as far to say it. Governments take years to agree on trade policies, a climate change policy or a policy to minimize global poverty is much more complex, and politically tricky. Any comprehensive oversight is impossible as nations will not give up sovereignty for anything short of a global catastrophe. In the end using either the UN to implement a policy or some supranational authority it does not work and I found Sachs's solution to this dilemma to be absent. While there have been major pieces of international regulation in the past they were to deal with issues that were drastically different than the problems facing us today. Sachs' primary examples, CFCs and sulfur dioxide, are perfect example of the disparity between the issues of the past and today; Acid rain is a local issue with simple consequences that can be fixed easily within a state. CFCs are also drastically different than CO2 in that they were not difficult to switch away from, and more importantly it was easy to see quantifiable problems with their current use by just looking at simple inferred images of the upper atmosphere, there were no maybes. Furthermore, Governments are not going to give into public funds around the globe, where they do not have a say in how that money is being spent. Compounding this problem is the fact that different cultures are naturally going to want these "global funds" spent differently. Sachs says that we must focus on our similarities and we will get through this, this seems overly optimistic.
The point that I disagree with Jeffrey Sachs on the most is that these issues are the greatest of my generation. While I may give him climate change and faulty international institutions as being high on the list, poverty traps and global overpopulation are not. Certainly in some cases I can see the benefits of a relatively small amount of money being invested towards these goals but for all the problems that developing countries have the scope of the problems is very limited. On the other hand the problems facing developed nations have much greater and far reaching affects. An economic collapse within a developing nation causes an isolated slump that can be fixed (relatively) easily; in a developed country an economic collapse can cause a worldwide depression. I am reminded of an airplane and how when the oxygen masks fall from the ceiling you are supposed to help yourself first, then others. While eliminating poverty traps and reducing population growth are admirable and worthy goals, we must prioritize. If we invest in the developing world while avoiding problems at home then could find that both ourselves and the developing countries are without oxygen.
In the end however we must look at this book as a whole in the view of what it is meant to accomplish. Common wealth is not meant for policy makers, or economists, or even those who are simply knowledgeable about the issues facing us today, rather it is a book for the uninformed that gives positive outlook for the world ahead in order to oppose the doom and gloom that we are inundated with daily. Perhaps I am a pessimist, and I am being overly "cynical" and "defeatist" as Jeffrey Sachs would say about topics that are facing today's world. (pg. 6) It is possible, but I think not. Rather I think that there is a line between being optimistic and being silly and that Jeffrey Sachs crossed it.
Sachs, Jeffrey D. (2008-03-18). Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
To start off this paper I would like to say a couple things about myself with regards to Jeffrey Sachs's book Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet. I think that the environment is a major problem in today's world, furthermore I believe that global poverty and overpopulation are also issues, the difficulty I have with Jeffrey Sachs's book, aside from his solutions, is the degree of severity of these issues. Sachs argues that the biggest issues facing the world during the 21st century are environmental degradation, overpopulation and extreme poverty, which is coupled and compounded by an ineffectual international system. Rather I believe that the major issues facing us today instead stem from the developed nations and the economy.
Jeffrey Sachs first identifies greenhouse gasses as a major concern, and how the world is approaching thresholds that will be increasingly difficult to come back from. He also ties these exponential rises in CO2 to the increasingly severe weather seen around the world, in heat waves, droughts and hurricanes. To combat this rise in greenhouse gasses Sachs goes with the standard, "stop deforestation", "cleaner electricity", and "reduce car emissions", but the way he suggests to do some of these things is somewhat odd. On deforestation he proposes to pay land owners in critical areas of the developing world, such as the Amazon to not cut down their trees. With regards to electricity and automobile emissions, Sachs advocates for a very centralized approach where we use clean electricity to power most if not all facets of our lives. Both of these cases looks fabulous on paper, but the real world is a far stretch from the hypotheticals of the pen. Paying foreign land owners to not deforest their own land is a tough sell not only to the taxpayers but also to the foreign government where said land resides. One has to have heavy international cooperation, which is difficult to come by and even more difficult to maintain, for a long term solution. There is a similar problem with cleaner electricity using plug in cars and electric heating in that on top of moving nearly all of our power to clean sources; it would require a major overhaul of the electrical grid, just to allow for the very high required output.
At the same time, even if the above problems are dealt with, there is the fact that any effort to minimize climate change does not work unless all nations, both developing and developed, work together cohesively towards mitigation. In a global economy companies can simply move to foreign nations that do not have as harsh environmental controls, resulting in no overall mitigation and a transfer of jobs out of the countries that attempt to mitigate climate change. The Kyoto protocols, which Jeffrey Sachs quotes often, ignore this fact, based upon the correct idea that developing nations, such as China, cannot handle and would be completely unwilling to take on the extra burdens of carbon emission controls. This is best exampled when Canada left the Kyoto protocols in Dec. of 2011 citing the fact that "we do not agree with a protocol that only controls a little bit of global emissions, not enough to actually make any difference but enough to transfer Canadian jobs overseas."
Truthfully I do not believe that the mitigation of climate change will ever find significant progress through the Kyoto protocol or anything like it. What Jeffrey Sachs either doesn't realize, or more likely, conveniently forgets (though he does make a haphazard attempt touch on it later) is that western governments' objective, for better or worse, is first and foremost about getting reelected. This political reality unfortunately does not translate well into long term solutions for a nation, and instead emphasizes short term gains. At the same time one must remember that climate change cannot be quantified. It is an unknown variable, even when taking climate change to be 100% manmade there is no absolute, no undeniable statement of "if such and such does not occur then this will happen." At best we are given general statements that there would be changes, most of which would be bad. Politicians do not work well with uncertainty like this, especially in areas where they must rely on others for knowledge. The current political system can easily understand the uncertainties due to extremists, dictators, and the masses, because to be elected politicians must understand humans; however the cold and unfeeling power of nature and climate change is so far outside of current politicians' experience that they are ill-equipped to put climate change forth as a true national agenda. This is a situation unique to environmental issues, unlike other esoteric and difficult to understand fields, such as finance, military, and industry, where individuals regularly transfer into the political system, environmentalists have no direct route from tree-hugging to being politicians.
In the end the current environmental movement, like all things in a democratic state is driven by the electorate who, unfortunately, are more distractible than toddlers, and are reliant on the candidates to bring up the issues that of the greatest concern. Politicians won't set a complex issue such as climate change as a central issue to their campaign, not only because they are not qualified to talk on the matter but also because it is difficult to propose. Perhaps in 20 years climate change will flood half of Florida but because of the fact that this dire consequence is an uncertain estimate of the distant future (at least in political terms) the electorate does not care. Especially when compared with the ability to get a job and feed your family for the next year, in tough economic times or, when economic times are good, lower taxes and a purchase of a new TV.
Another major point of Sachs is that global population growth needs to stabilize to maintain the availability of scarce resources, to ensure continued economic development, and to maintain "global political stability" (pg. 185) where Sachs points to developing Africa as the major issue. Sachs argues that a reduction in fertility rates will lead to less regional instability due to resource scarcity, and the fact that the population will be on average older, they will also be not as easily swayed and made to dance to the tunes of popular figures. Along a similar line of thought Jeffrey Sachs puts forward that the reduction and elimination of poverty traps should be a major goal of any forward looking developed nation. He then Logically goes on to explain that this would curb terrorist extremist groups' ability to recruit leading to enhanced security at home, as well as increased prosperity and greater wealth for all in the long run.
Compared to his solutions for climate change Sachs's answers to stabilize the world population are much more filled out. His states family planning, contraceptives and even abortion, as needed options to combat this growth, going on to make a convincing case that a cut in infant mortality will also decrease the birth rate. This is one of Sachs's strongest points in the book and one that I generally agree on, though one must wonder if he underestimates the strong religious and pro-natal groups that have a presence in Africa. At the same time I find his arguments towards eliminating poverty traps to also be fairly well thought out. The question for me is whether these issues are large enough for governments to interfere and while Jeffrey Sachs would certainly say yes I say no.
The first thing that one has to remember before delving into this argument is "what is the role of government in most developed nations?" I would say to protect the interests of their own people. If people are starving in poverty trap in a foreign country other governments should not feel any obligation to minimize this. Any humanitarian aid to foreign nations needs to be weighed dollar for dollar against what the donating nation gains, whether they gain an increased presence in a particular region or something else. Jeffrey Sachs says that what we gain (safety from terrorism and a more prosperous world) is worth the 280 billion in expenditure (pg. 311). Sachs argues that the cost of this investment could be spread amongst the wealthier nations and that this high annual cost would merely be a temporary kick starter for economic development in subsistence economies making long-term costs null (pg. 12). He then goes on to expound on the benefits of the millennium villages.
At first glance this looks like a no brainer, less poverty equals less anger equals less terrorism equals happier world, and to a degree this is probably the case. What I question is the feasibility of what is essentially a plan to industrialize the world. The first issue I see is the obvious one that any development using public funds will not only require a relatively responsible government and a willing population but also will have to have at least some ability to align culturally with the donor nation(s). Governments are not going to invest billions to minimize poverty in a region without some assurances that the money will be well spent. The second issue I see here is natural resources, and future instabilities. For all the problems with developing nations I fear that industrialization will just trade one problem for another much worse one. No matter how one looks at it terrorism will never be a credible threat to the sovereignty of the United States or other nations. Five thousand people dead in a plane crash in New York compared to forty-five thousand dead annually due to gun crime, the number five thousand is insignificant. A modern resource war, on the other hand, between developed nations in Africa to maintain their economic development, now that is scary.
Lastly I question the intelligence of forcing farmers and agriculture in the developing world to rely on expensive genetically modifies crops and fossil fuel based fertilizers which he advocates with the millennium villages. Even If we assume that they use these technological advancements responsibly and do not over nitrogenize the soil, then farmer will be relying on prohibitively expensive solutions to maintain crop yields. While theoretically genetically modified crops could be priced based on what the consumers can pay, nitrogen fixation, the centerpiece of modern agriculture, is tied to fossil fuels, natural resources that are becoming increasingly rare and thus more expensive, especially in developing nations that do not have a developed energy sector. This would require long term subsidizing of foreign farmers, which is not a reasonable possibility.
This moves into the final blatant leap of logic in Sachs' arguments, which is how this will be accomplished. Sachs argues for the need for "global participation in global problem solving" (pg 295) yet the only way he proposes to accomplish this is through the establishment of "global funds" that would provide a "highly visible [Places] where governments could seek help." (pg. 300) This of course brings about the question of who looks over these solutions, is it the U.N.? He establishes that the UN needs to be revamped and we cannot work under the current scheme, we need "global legislation" (pg. 334). It seems to me that Sachs is hinting at a supranational authority, but not going as far to say it. Governments take years to agree on trade policies, a climate change policy or a policy to minimize global poverty is much more complex, and politically tricky. Any comprehensive oversight is impossible as nations will not give up sovereignty for anything short of a global catastrophe. In the end using either the UN to implement a policy or some supranational authority it does not work and I found Sachs's solution to this dilemma to be absent. While there have been major pieces of international regulation in the past they were to deal with issues that were drastically different than the problems facing us today. Sachs' primary examples, CFCs and sulfur dioxide, are perfect example of the disparity between the issues of the past and today; Acid rain is a local issue with simple consequences that can be fixed easily within a state. CFCs are also drastically different than CO2 in that they were not difficult to switch away from, and more importantly it was easy to see quantifiable problems with their current use by just looking at simple inferred images of the upper atmosphere, there were no maybes. Furthermore, Governments are not going to give into public funds around the globe, where they do not have a say in how that money is being spent. Compounding this problem is the fact that different cultures are naturally going to want these "global funds" spent differently. Sachs says that we must focus on our similarities and we will get through this, this seems overly optimistic.
The point that I disagree with Jeffrey Sachs on the most is that these issues are the greatest of my generation. While I may give him climate change and faulty international institutions as being high on the list, poverty traps and global overpopulation are not. Certainly in some cases I can see the benefits of a relatively small amount of money being invested towards these goals but for all the problems that developing countries have the scope of the problems is very limited. On the other hand the problems facing developed nations have much greater and far reaching affects. An economic collapse within a developing nation causes an isolated slump that can be fixed (relatively) easily; in a developed country an economic collapse can cause a worldwide depression. I am reminded of an airplane and how when the oxygen masks fall from the ceiling you are supposed to help yourself first, then others. While eliminating poverty traps and reducing population growth are admirable and worthy goals, we must prioritize. If we invest in the developing world while avoiding problems at home then could find that both ourselves and the developing countries are without oxygen.
In the end however we must look at this book as a whole in the view of what it is meant to accomplish. Common wealth is not meant for policy makers, or economists, or even those who are simply knowledgeable about the issues facing us today, rather it is a book for the uninformed that gives positive outlook for the world ahead in order to oppose the doom and gloom that we are inundated with daily. Perhaps I am a pessimist, and I am being overly "cynical" and "defeatist" as Jeffrey Sachs would say about topics that are facing today's world. (pg. 6) It is possible, but I think not. Rather I think that there is a line between being optimistic and being silly and that Jeffrey Sachs crossed it.
Sachs, Jeffrey D. (2008-03-18). Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2009
Jeffrey Sachs offers the reader a clear picture and sound proposals for the global challenges that lie ahead of us. I have followed many lectures for climate stability, sustainable development, the bottom billion, the demographic transition etc. These are matters that will challenge our well being in the 21st century. Yet reading this book made me understand better the nature and the implications of these challenges. I strongly recommend this book for anybody who values globalization!
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2010
A brilliant, pragmatic, fact based analysis of the world's challenges and its resources. Would you give up THREE (3) % of your income to solve human-kinds challenges, held for thousands of years: The end of hunger, the end of poverty, safe water and shelter for all... Dr. Sachs carefully, irrefutably outlines how this is possible! Why don't we do it?
A must-read for all who want to make a difference.
A must-read for all who want to make a difference.
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2010
I found the text insightful and an interesting read. Sacks references many other notable economists from which he either shares their views and or expands upon them. A good read for those interested in the topic. I was somewhat disappointed in the final chapter, The Power of One. Overall, I would recommend this book. It provides timely information that can extend our thinking about the state of the economy and of the world.
Top reviews from other countries
I. Dobson
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of two books you need to read to save the planet
Reviewed in Canada on April 11, 2010
...the other one is "The Weathermakers", but thats for another review. This is not so much an economics book as a synopsis of all that is troubling in the world at the moment. Sachs explains the problems of population control and the significance of age stratification, issues around resource depletion and the serious problem of our disappearing global fresh water supply. Rather than being alarmist, Sachs explains the issues in simple straightforward terms and offers real workable solutions based on sound scientific and statistical data. You will come away from this book with a good working knowledge of the problems we hear about everyday and how to fix them. A very absorbing book and easily accessible to the average reader with no background in economics or science.
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CNR
4.0 out of 5 stars
A far-reaching book that explains most of the issues very ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2015
A far-reaching book that explains most of the issues very simply and clearly. Suffers a bit from repetition, for avoidance of all doubt, which given the size of the book, doesn't help. The print is small - the book is bigger than you think. But a wealth of information and considered analysis.
ew
3.0 out of 5 stars
I should say that the seller did an excellent job - 5 stars for the seller
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2015
I should say that the seller did an excellent job - 5 stars for the seller. However the book itself is absolutely terrible, a typical mass production line by sachs. I've read a few of his books and he is an incredibly lazy and careless writer IMO. So 1 star for Sachs, but 5 stars for the seller
N. Briand
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's been seven years since I read this. Time ...
Reviewed in Canada on December 18, 2015
It's been seven years since I read this. Time to read it again and see if it stood the test of time.
Taejun
5.0 out of 5 stars
自分たちには何ができるのか。
Reviewed in Japan on June 18, 2008
本書のタイトルCommon Wealthは、(人類)共有の富とでも言うのでしょうか。科学の発展は、確実に世界をせまいものにしつつあり、それだけに、僕たちが直面している課題というのは、以前よりもより世界的な(commonな)ものであると、Sachs氏は主張します。特に現在私たちが直面している課題は、
1環境の保護
2人口の安定
3格差の是正と極度の貧困の終焉
の3つで、これらはお互いに密接に絡み合っています。問題は一つの国家のアクションによっては解決できず、世界的な協力関係によってのみ解決できるものだと彼は主張します。
上の3つの問題の解決は、継続可能な発展(Sustainable Development)につながるものです。 Sustainable Developmentは、上の3つの問題が適切に解決されてこそ実現が可能になります。 Sachs氏は、正しい方法をとれば、Sustainable Developmentは達成可能であると説きます。
環境の保護
科学技術の発展と、人口増加、一人当たり生産量の増加にともない、人類が地球環境に与えうるインパクトは年々増大しています。 すべての人が、現状を永続させることは不可能であることを知っています。 この30年で、脊髄動物の種はなんと半減しています(ところで、映画Earthはとてもよいですね)。 砂漠化も多くの地域で進み、十分に水が供給されない地域が増え、他方では水面の上昇により水没の危機にある国も増えています。 気温の上昇は、天災を増加させ、同時に新たな類の病気が蔓延する原因ともなっています。
これらの解決のためには、市場システムをうまく活かした政策の導入、規制、技術革新、食糧流通システムの効率化などが強く求められています。
人口の安定
人類の人口は、指数的に増加しています。西暦0年から1700年ごろまで、地球の人口は常に10億以下でした。それが、今や60億人。そして、現状が続けば、人口は2050年までに90億になる事が予想されています。継続可能な発展を達成するためには、これは80億以下に抑える必要があります。
人口の増加は、貧困の罠(自力では貧困から抜け出せなくなる状況)と密接に関わっています。最貧国における高い出生率は、幼児の高い死亡率に一因があります。しかし、高い出生率は、家庭が貧困から抜け出すことをより困難にし、それはその国家の経済成長を低下させ、他の国家にも影響を与えることになります。
人口の安定のためには、出生率を下げるインセンティヴを導入する必要があります。現に、先進国で多少の個別差がありながらも出生率が低いのは、インセンティヴによるものが多いのです(低い死亡率、高い養育費など)。途上国において出生率を下げるためにとるべきアクションは、医療制度を発展させ子供の死亡率を下げること(これには援助が必要です)、女の子の進学率を上げ、同時に女性の社会発展を促進することなどにあります。
格差の是正と極度の貧困の終焉
いまだに、世界の人口の6分の1である10億人は極度の貧困の中に生きていて、そのうち数百万人が毎年貧困のために亡くなっています。アフリカでは、5歳以下の幼児の死亡率は17.9%になります。 世界における幼児の死者数は毎日26,000人ですが、このうち3分の1は、ほんの少しのお金があれば(例えば蚊帳一つあれば)防げるものです。
お金があれば幸せになれるわけではありませんが、ない状態で幸せになる事は難しい。また、貧困は、政治不安や紛争、テロの温床にもなりえます。
貧困を解決するための基本的な処方箋は、以下のものになります。 まずは、人口を適切な水準に保つこと。 そして、そのうえで農業生産性を向上させ、社会インフラを整備し、民間部門主導の発展を促進するための技術の支援などを行う事にあります。
これにも多くのお金が必要です。 Sachs氏は、援助の必要性を説いています。 Easterlyは、これまでの多くの援助がまったくの無駄だったと説き、その原因はインセンティヴを考慮しなかったことによると主張していますが、Sachs氏は援助が事実無駄に使われうる事に同意しながらも、その無駄な援助は多くの場合先進国による「援助のための援助」であったこと、正しい方法によって運営された援助は、大きな効果をもたらしてきたことを話します。 特に、日本の開発援助が東・南アジアの国々の発展に大きく寄与してきたことを高く評価しています。
貧困の撲滅は、先進国が自らの収入の2.4%を毎年援助することによって達成することができるとSachs氏は主張します。アメリカの軍事費二日分で、アフリカ全土のマラリア対策費1年分を賄う事が出来るそうです。(そんな簡単なものではないと思いますが)軍事費の見直しを少しばかりすれば、貧困の撲滅のための資金は十分に拠出することが可能です。
現在、いくつかの国でMillennium Village Projectが進められています。 これは、村単位で農業・医療保険・教育などを発展させることにより経済開発に成功したロールモデルを数多く生み出しています。この経験を国家単位に適切に活かすことができるのであれば、2025年前に極度の貧困(1日に1ドル以下で生活すること)を撲滅させるMillennium Promiseを達成することは可能になるでしょう。
アクションの必要性
最初にも書いたように、僕たちがいま直面している問題は、より世界的な問題であり、皆の協力によってのみ乗り越えられるものになっています。政府のみならず、企業、NGOなど,大学・研究機関らの組織の連携がうまくいってこそ、問題は解決に進めることができます。
また、個人レベルでも今すぐにできることがあると、Sachs氏は話します:
・まず、僕たちの世代が直面している問題を認識すること
・各地に旅行して、現実を見ること
・永続可能な発展の実現のためにアクションをしている組織に自分も入ること
・周りの人々を巻き込むこと
・インターネットを活用して、永続可能な発展について知らせること
・自分の属している企業や、政府に働きかけること
・Millennium Promiseのスタンダードに沿って生活を送るようにすること
Jeffrey Sachsの地に足付いた楽観主義には本当に感じるところが多いです。僕も、いつまでもこうありたいと思います。まずは、自分ができるところから、少しずつでも着実にやっていこうと思います。
1環境の保護
2人口の安定
3格差の是正と極度の貧困の終焉
の3つで、これらはお互いに密接に絡み合っています。問題は一つの国家のアクションによっては解決できず、世界的な協力関係によってのみ解決できるものだと彼は主張します。
上の3つの問題の解決は、継続可能な発展(Sustainable Development)につながるものです。 Sustainable Developmentは、上の3つの問題が適切に解決されてこそ実現が可能になります。 Sachs氏は、正しい方法をとれば、Sustainable Developmentは達成可能であると説きます。
環境の保護
科学技術の発展と、人口増加、一人当たり生産量の増加にともない、人類が地球環境に与えうるインパクトは年々増大しています。 すべての人が、現状を永続させることは不可能であることを知っています。 この30年で、脊髄動物の種はなんと半減しています(ところで、映画Earthはとてもよいですね)。 砂漠化も多くの地域で進み、十分に水が供給されない地域が増え、他方では水面の上昇により水没の危機にある国も増えています。 気温の上昇は、天災を増加させ、同時に新たな類の病気が蔓延する原因ともなっています。
これらの解決のためには、市場システムをうまく活かした政策の導入、規制、技術革新、食糧流通システムの効率化などが強く求められています。
人口の安定
人類の人口は、指数的に増加しています。西暦0年から1700年ごろまで、地球の人口は常に10億以下でした。それが、今や60億人。そして、現状が続けば、人口は2050年までに90億になる事が予想されています。継続可能な発展を達成するためには、これは80億以下に抑える必要があります。
人口の増加は、貧困の罠(自力では貧困から抜け出せなくなる状況)と密接に関わっています。最貧国における高い出生率は、幼児の高い死亡率に一因があります。しかし、高い出生率は、家庭が貧困から抜け出すことをより困難にし、それはその国家の経済成長を低下させ、他の国家にも影響を与えることになります。
人口の安定のためには、出生率を下げるインセンティヴを導入する必要があります。現に、先進国で多少の個別差がありながらも出生率が低いのは、インセンティヴによるものが多いのです(低い死亡率、高い養育費など)。途上国において出生率を下げるためにとるべきアクションは、医療制度を発展させ子供の死亡率を下げること(これには援助が必要です)、女の子の進学率を上げ、同時に女性の社会発展を促進することなどにあります。
格差の是正と極度の貧困の終焉
いまだに、世界の人口の6分の1である10億人は極度の貧困の中に生きていて、そのうち数百万人が毎年貧困のために亡くなっています。アフリカでは、5歳以下の幼児の死亡率は17.9%になります。 世界における幼児の死者数は毎日26,000人ですが、このうち3分の1は、ほんの少しのお金があれば(例えば蚊帳一つあれば)防げるものです。
お金があれば幸せになれるわけではありませんが、ない状態で幸せになる事は難しい。また、貧困は、政治不安や紛争、テロの温床にもなりえます。
貧困を解決するための基本的な処方箋は、以下のものになります。 まずは、人口を適切な水準に保つこと。 そして、そのうえで農業生産性を向上させ、社会インフラを整備し、民間部門主導の発展を促進するための技術の支援などを行う事にあります。
これにも多くのお金が必要です。 Sachs氏は、援助の必要性を説いています。 Easterlyは、これまでの多くの援助がまったくの無駄だったと説き、その原因はインセンティヴを考慮しなかったことによると主張していますが、Sachs氏は援助が事実無駄に使われうる事に同意しながらも、その無駄な援助は多くの場合先進国による「援助のための援助」であったこと、正しい方法によって運営された援助は、大きな効果をもたらしてきたことを話します。 特に、日本の開発援助が東・南アジアの国々の発展に大きく寄与してきたことを高く評価しています。
貧困の撲滅は、先進国が自らの収入の2.4%を毎年援助することによって達成することができるとSachs氏は主張します。アメリカの軍事費二日分で、アフリカ全土のマラリア対策費1年分を賄う事が出来るそうです。(そんな簡単なものではないと思いますが)軍事費の見直しを少しばかりすれば、貧困の撲滅のための資金は十分に拠出することが可能です。
現在、いくつかの国でMillennium Village Projectが進められています。 これは、村単位で農業・医療保険・教育などを発展させることにより経済開発に成功したロールモデルを数多く生み出しています。この経験を国家単位に適切に活かすことができるのであれば、2025年前に極度の貧困(1日に1ドル以下で生活すること)を撲滅させるMillennium Promiseを達成することは可能になるでしょう。
アクションの必要性
最初にも書いたように、僕たちがいま直面している問題は、より世界的な問題であり、皆の協力によってのみ乗り越えられるものになっています。政府のみならず、企業、NGOなど,大学・研究機関らの組織の連携がうまくいってこそ、問題は解決に進めることができます。
また、個人レベルでも今すぐにできることがあると、Sachs氏は話します:
・まず、僕たちの世代が直面している問題を認識すること
・各地に旅行して、現実を見ること
・永続可能な発展の実現のためにアクションをしている組織に自分も入ること
・周りの人々を巻き込むこと
・インターネットを活用して、永続可能な発展について知らせること
・自分の属している企業や、政府に働きかけること
・Millennium Promiseのスタンダードに沿って生活を送るようにすること
Jeffrey Sachsの地に足付いた楽観主義には本当に感じるところが多いです。僕も、いつまでもこうありたいと思います。まずは、自分ができるところから、少しずつでも着実にやっていこうと思います。


