How to save the world

摘要

When you are asking for $75 billion a year, you need a good reason. Jeffrey Sachs has one. He thinks that if aid to poor countries were increased by this sum-ie, more than doubled-and kept at that level until 2015, extreme poverty could be halved. Next year, in his capacity as head of the United Nations "Millennium Project", which aims to achieve this goal, he will present to the G8 countries a detailed plan for how the money should be spent, in the hope of persuading donor nations to cough it up. Can Mr Sachs really persuade western leaders suddenly to shower cash on people who can not vote for them? The answer will depend in part on whether they are convinced that the money would be well spent. On this point, he will be met with scepticism. Development aid has failed, in the past, to stimulate much development. Lavishly aided countries have grown no faster than those that have been neglected. This is one reason why rich countries refuse to give much. Though most have promised to donate 0.7% of gross national income, the average for the richest 22 countries is 0.25%.