| THE END OF POVERTY by JEFFREY SACHS Jeffrey
Sachs is an economist with a great passion to solve world poverty.
The first part of his book tells of the many countries he has helped
through difficult financial times - Bolivia, Poland, Russia, India and
China. From there he outlines the causes, as he sees them, of today's
increasing poverty, then explores ways to overcome it.
To do this he visits the people of Sauri, a desperately poor village in Kenya, and draws up a plan that would set them on their feet again. After costing the plan, he works out a worldwide sum to do the same. This he sets against the incomes of the super rich in his own country of America, and discusses ways to motivate them to give. Although it's all very well worked through, at the end of the book I felt rather worried that it was coloured too much by a western attitude to capitalism and development. He fails to understand the anti-globalization movement, believing for instance that garment factory jobs in Bangladesh are good however poor the wages and conditions because it's a foot on the ladder. Many would say the world is crying out for a very different ladder. Both John Madeley's book, "A People's World" (alternatives to economic globalisation) and Harry Shott's, "A New Democracy" (alternatives to a bankrupt world order) show how the western capitalist approach is not a realistic answer. I was very disappointed by the J2000 piece. He gives the Pope the credit for linking it with Leviticus and thinks that two thirds of the debts are now cancelled, thanks to Bono, himself and the US! He shows a rather scanty knowledge of the origin of the debt crisis too by suggesting that the original loans should have been given as grants. Unfortunately this tendency to superficiality is often present when, for example, he lists initiatives set up for specific problems and implies therefore that all is now well; but AIDS, TB, malaria, child poverty etc. show no signs of abating. Despite these criticisms it is an inspiring and informative book, and together with the two mentioned above they make an excellent platform for a balanced global understanding. Merryn Hellier
A New Democracy ISBN 1 85649 074 Zed Books |