Just Read: The End of Poverty

www.betterworld.com

Finally, a book that makes economics interesting! Mostly because Jeffrey Sachs discusses all the factors that contribute to extreme poverty, from environment to politics to technology to geography. I have to admit the book was a bit long, at 368 pages, with some points belabored multiple times. However, if you want to feel bad about yourself for living in comparative richness when billions of people live in extreme poverty, this is the book for you... It's actually not all that depressing and guilt-instigating. The redeeming quality of the book is hope, information, and a plan for action. A very slight increase in our taxes, and a heavier burden on the richest of the rich, could easily provide enough money to release millions of people around the globe from the poverty trap. And apparently most Americans are all for foreign aid and actually think the US government contributes more than it actually does.

I do have a couple concerns from this book, although I must admit that I accept most of it at face value because I know so little about economics and because Sachs is so famous.

1) Sachs praises the Green Revolution over and over again for dramatically increasing crop yields the world over. However, I have learned and read many times that the Green Revolution also had disastrous side effects, as the crops must be grown from seed every year, requiring seeds to be bought instead of saved. In addition many of the crop varieties were not designed for specific climates and locations. They may demand excessive insecticide and require monoculture crops. Does anyone know if the benefits outweigh the negatives?

2) This book basically centers on the premise of globalization. Historically countries that have been sealed off have not improved their economic well-being, leaving millions in extreme poverty. Countries that open their doors to trade experience a much higher growth rate and enable more citizens to climb out of poverty. That all sounds great. So how do I reconcile this with the movement toward local sustainability here in the US. If I am supposed to follow a 100 mile diet and buy all local, and if everybody in our country eventually jumps on this bandwagon, are we relegating the rest of the world to poor quality of life?

If any poli sci majors in the proverbial room have insights into these topics, I would be eager to learn.

I recommend picking up this book and reading at least part of it.