Financing the MDGs
Can extreme poverty be eliminated?
More and better aid is the solution to extreme poverty
Authors:
J. Sachs
Publisher:
Scientific American, 2005
In this article, Jeffery Sachs offers a number of solutions to the problem of chronic poverty. The paper details the current state of global poverty and then argues that the answer lies in science, technology and the reinforcing accumulation of weath. The eradication of poverty is not, however, automatic or inevitable, but requires significant input on behalf of the west.
The paper explores, by means of tables and graphs, the progress made in human development since the inception of the Millenium Development Goals in 2000. It then proposes a strategy for ensuring the MDGs are reached:
- a large-scale targeted public investment effort is required
- increasing US aid to 0.7% GDP would achieve this aim
- a new kind of development economics needs to emerge, which should be grounded in science
- public perceptions of governance issues are not well-founded - geographical characteristics are just as important.
Sachs argues that the majority of this potential investment should be targeted at healthcare and disease prevention, supporting such preventative measures as bednets and pesticides.
