THOUGHT LEADERS

Economics and Justice

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Does free trade bring progress or misery to countries that open themselves to unbridled globalization? Are economics and the search for equality enemies? What assistance strategies should rich countries pursue in the developing world?

RECENT COMMENTARIES

FEATURED COMMENTARIES

Making Sense of the Climate Impasse

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-07-28

Intense heat waves are currently hitting many parts of the world: the first five months of this year were the warmest on record going back to 1880, and May was the warmest month ever. So why do we still fail to act?... read

Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 3140

The Unaccountable G-8

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-06-30

In hosting the 2010 G-8 summit of major economies, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called for an “accountability summit,” to hold the G-8 responsible for the promises that it made over the years. But the G-8 has neither fulfilled its promises, nor taken responsibility for its failure to do so.... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 1 Read: 4635

Development Aid in Five Easy Steps

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-05-26

The rich world says that it lacks the money to do more to provide the development assistance that could save millions of lives each year in impoverished countries. But what rich countries lack is imagination, not resources.... read

Comments: 3 Recommended: 0 Read: 8977

Connectivity for All

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-04-20

The information-and-communications-technology revolution is surely the most powerful single force for economic development in the world today. In particular, universal connectivity can mobilize the powerful links between education and reduced fertility, faster economic development, and lower environmental degradation.... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 1 Read: 6651

Funding a Global Health Fund

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-03-19

World leaders will come together at the UN in September in order to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, three of which involve bringing primary health services to the entire world’s population. The key step to saving millions of lives each year - at a very modest cost - is to expand the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria into a Global Health Fund.... read

Comments: 1 Recommended: 0 Read: 6739

The Phony Attack on Climate Science

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-02-19

Today’s campaigners against action on climate change are in many cases backed by the same special interests that sought to discredit the science linking smoking and lung cancer, sulfur oxides with acid rain, and CFCs with ozone depletion. What is amazing is that, although these attacks on science have been wrong for 30 years, they still sow doubt about established facts. ... read

Comments: 9 Recommended: 0 Read: 10054

Reconstructing Haiti

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-01-25

Rebuilding Haiti will cost perhaps $10-$20 billion, and will require much of the coming decade. Getting started now will save countless lives and prevent a further tragic downward spiral of a society that stands at the very brink of survival.... read

Comments: 4 Recommended: 2 Read: 9415

Obama Undermines the UN Climate Process

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2009-12-20

Two years of climate change negotiations have now ended in a farce in Copenhagen. Barack Obama’s decision to declare a phony negotiating victory amounts to a declaration that rich countries will do what they want and must no longer listen to the “pesky” concerns of many smaller and poorer countries.... read

Comments: 3 Recommended: 1 Read: 9245

Obama in Chains

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2009-11-20

It is hard for international observers to grasp the political paralysis that grips the US, and that seriously threatens its ability to solve domestic problems and contribute to international problem solving. Indeed, America’s governance crisis is the worst in modern history, and it is likely to worsen in the years ahead.... read

Comments: 5 Recommended: 3 Read: 17403

King Coal’s Climate Policy	Jeffrey D. Sachs
There are several reasons for US inaction – including ideology and scientific ignorance – but a lot comes down to one word: coal. No fewer than 25 states produce coal, which not only generates income, jobs, and tax revenue, but also provides a disproportionately large share of their energy.... read

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Reconstructing Haiti

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-01-25

Comments: 4 Recommended: 2 Read: 9415

Obama Undermines the UN Climate Process

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2009-12-20

Comments: 3 Recommended: 1 Read: 9245

Peace Through Development

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2009-05-20

American foreign policy has failed in recent years mainly because the US relied on military force to address problems that demand development assistance and diplomacy. Although Barack Obama has raised hopes for a new strategy, so far the forces of continuity in US policy are dominating the forces of change.... read

Comments: 2 Recommended: 1 Read: 12906

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Lessons From the North

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2006-04-21

Fewer debates over economics would be needed if the world spent more time examining what actually works and what does not. Almost everywhere, debate has raged about how to combine market forces and social security. The left calls for an expansion of social protection; the right says that doing so would undermine economic growth and widen fiscal deficits.... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 30265

Bush Inherits the Wind

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2005-09-20

The most shocking statement in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was President George W. Bush’s remark that “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees” that protect New Orleans from flooding. New Orleans is a city mostly below sea level, and must be protected by levees to keep water out. Concern that the levees might break in the midst of a powerful hurricane was widespread among scientists, engineers, and emergency-preparedness experts. Yet Bush apparently did not know of these concerns, even days after the hurricane destroyed the levees and flooded the city. ... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 29430

The Case Against Emergency Food Aid

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2005-08-19

Niger’s food emergency has reached the world’s headlines, but the crisis there is only one part of a much larger disaster. On an extended trip this summer through rural areas of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa on behalf of the United Nations, I visited countless villages afflicted with extreme hunger and struggling to survive against the odds. ... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 28802

Development Aid for Development’s Sake

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2006-02-24

Almost daily, the United States and Europe brandish threats to impose economic sanctions or cut off development assistance unless some vulnerable government accepts their political strictures. The most recent threats are towards the new Hamas-led government in Palestine. Other recent examples include threats vis-à-vis Chad, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Bolivia, Uganda, and long-standing sanctions against Myanmar. ... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 28732

Changing Climate Change

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2005-11-21

The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1990, and 2005 is likely to be the warmest ever. This year, we’ve gotten a taste of the many kinds of dangers that lie ahead: more extreme hurricanes, massive droughts, forest fires, spreading infectious diseases, and floods. The climate is changing, and more is yet to come. ... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 27468

Embracing Science

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2006-01-23

Long-term economic progress comes mainly from the invention and spread of improved technologies. The scientific revolution was made possible by the printing press, the industrial revolution by the steam engine, and India’s escape from famine by increased farm yields – the so-called “Green Revolution.” Today’s era of globalization emerged with the spread of computers and the Internet. Thus, when we seek solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, they, too, are likely to be found, at least in part, in new technologies that can resolve old and seemingly intractable problems. ... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 27444

The American Anti-Intellectual Threat	Jeffrey D. Sachs
In recent years, the United States has been more a source of global instability than a source of global problem-solving. While many factors have contributed to this, a powerful one is anti-intellectualism, exemplified recently by Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s surging popularity.... read
Savable Africa	Jeffrey D. Sachs
The G-8 Summit in Scotland in early July will bring together the political leaders of the richest countries to consider the plight of the poorest countries. So far, President George W. Bush has resisted Prime Minister Tony Blair’s call for a doubling of aid to Africa by 2010. This is a tragic mistake, one that results from a misunderstanding of the challenges facing Africa and of America’s responsibilities. ... read

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Jeffrey D. Sachs

Jeffrey D. Sachs is Professor of Economics and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He is also Special Adviser to United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals.

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THOUGHT LEADERS

Economics and Justice

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Making Sense of the Climate Impasse

The Unaccountable G-8

Development Aid in Five Easy Steps

Connectivity for All

Funding a Global Health Fund

The Phony Attack on Climate Science

Reconstructing Haiti

Obama Undermines the UN Climate Process

Obama in Chains

Reconstructing Haiti

Obama Undermines the UN Climate Process

Peace Through Development

Lessons From the North

Bush Inherits the Wind

The Case Against Emergency Food Aid

Development Aid for Development’s Sake

Changing Climate Change

Embracing Science

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