Jeffrey Sachs is an economist and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He has researched the causes of extreme poverty, which he defines as living on less than $1 per day. Sachs estimates that over 8 million people die from extreme poverty each year due to lack of access to basic needs. However, he argues proven interventions that target specific issues, like providing bed nets or boosting agriculture, could alleviate extreme poverty at an estimated cost of $32 billion per year. Sachs has implemented the Millennium Village Project in Africa to test this approach.
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Jeffrey Sachs' Plan to End Extreme Poverty
1. Jeffrey Sachs
Economist
http://www.earth.columbia.ed
Director of the Earth Institute, u/sitefiles/image/mediapage/s
achs/JSmaster2_WEB.jpg
Columbia University
Special Advisor to UN Secretary
General, Ban Ki-moon
By Rosie Mazzarella
Period 3 Econ
2. Poverty
“Currently, more than eight million people around the world die
each year because they are too poor to stay alive. Every morning
the newspapers could report, "More than 20'000 people perished
yesterday of extreme poverty." The stories would put the stark
numbers in context; up to 8000 children dead of malaria, 5000
mothers and fathers dead of tuberculosis, 7500 young adults dead
of AIDS, and thousands more dead of diarrhea, respiratory
infection, and other killer diseases that prey on bodies weakened
by chronic hunger. The poor die in hospital wards that lack drugs,
in villages that lack anti-malarial bed nets, in houses that lack safe
drinking water. They die namelessly, without public comment.
Sadly, such stories rarely get written. Most people are unaware of
the daily struggles for survival, and the vast number of
impoverished people around the world who lose that struggle.”
-Jeffrey Sachs, The End of Poverty
3. The End of Poverty
In 2005, Sachs published the
book The End of Poverty
He has researched the reasons
why 1/6 of the world still lives in
extreme poverty
Extreme poverty is living on less
than $1/day
Sachs says that problems which
cause extreme poverty can be
addressed with “know, proven,
and reliable and appropriate
technologies and interventions.”
But, these problems need to be
addressed carefully, because
they are all unique. http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/0
5/images/sachs.1.jpg
By alleviating extreme poverty,
the global economy will be
stimulated by growth in areas
that were previously suffering.
4. How much aid is needed
to alleviate extreme
poverty?
The world needs to invest $32 billion
to alleviate extreme poverty
We would only need to spend .7% of
our GDP on development aid to
address specific problems that the
poorest of the poor have
We spend $15 billion on development
aid today (6 cents per African
suffering from extreme poverty), but
$50 billion on our military
Instead of pledging money and
creating a plan to fit that, we need
to research how we can implement
practical solutions to individual
causes of poverty and pledge money
http://blogs.millenniumpromise.org/wp- based on those needs
content/uploads/2009/06/mayange.jpg
5. Addressing basic needs
By boosting of the poor
agriculture, improving
basic health, investing In some areas, like those
in education, bringing with high rates of diseases
power, and providing like malaria, a bed-net
clean water and which costs $2 could
sanitation in poverty- eliminate risk of infection
stricken areas like
Sub-Saharan Africa we
would give those living
in extreme poverty
the tools to make
them self-sufficient,
not dependent on
foreign aid, according
to Sachs.
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om/2376/2487284180_b
9bfa52e9f_o.jpg
6. The
Millennium
Village
Project
To help reach the
UN’s goal of eradicating
extreme poverty by
2015, this project was
created by the Earth
Institute at Columbia
http://www.btcycle.com/wp-
University in 2006
content/uploads/2009/12/8d.Villagewomencollecttheirseeds.jpg 13 villages throughout
In some villages, malaria infection has Africa have been
decreased 50% and crop yields have pledged $50 per villager
increased 85-350% per year
The second stage of this project is
scheduled to begin in 2011, but the first
stage has been very successful and is
becoming a model for sustainable
development around the world
8. Sachs’ 9 steps to alleviating
extreme poverty
1. Commit to the Task
2. Adopt a Plan of Action
3. Raise the Voice of the Poor
4. Redeem the U.S. Voice in
the World
5. Rescue the IMF and World
Bank
6. Strengthen the U.N.
7. Harness Global Science
8. Promise Sustainable
Development
9. Make a Personal
Commitment
http://www.21school.
ox.ac.uk/images/eve
nts/Jeff-Sachs.jpg
9. Sources
1. Sachs, Jeffrey. “The End of Poverty.” TIME. 14 March, 2005. SIRS
Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. 8 February, 2010.
http://www.sirs.com
2. “Prof Jeffrey Sachs, Director.” The Earth Institute. Columbia University. 8
February, 2010. http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/1804
3. Sachs, Jeffrey. “International Economics: Unlocking the mysteries of
globalization.” Foreign Policy. 1 April, 1998: 97. eLibrary. Web. 8
February, 2010.
4. Sachs, Jeffrey D. “A Practical Plan to Achieve the MDGs.” UN Chronicle. 1
June, 2005: 5. eLibrary. Web. 8 February, 2010.
5. Hackett, Ken; Rivera, John. "Sachs' strategy to end poverty is a 'must-
read'". National Catholic Reporter. 25 Nov 2005: 18. eLibrary. Web. 9 Feb
2010.
6. “Overview.” Millennium villages. 2009. 1 March 2010.
http://www.millenniumvillages.org/news/index.htm
7. “UN village project provides model for ending poverty.” The National. Abu
Dhabi Media Company. 6 February 2010. 1 March 2010.
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100207/FOREIG
N/702069956/1135/pollarchive