10 JEFFREY SACHS
UAntwerp awards honorary degree to Professor Jeffrey Sachs
On 29 March , The Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development ( IMDO ) of the University of Antwerp conferred its honorary degree and paid tribute to Jeffrey Sachs . On this occasion , Prof . Sachs also gave a masterclass on his book The Age of Sustainable Development ( 2015 ). Professor Sachs was born in Detroit , Michigan on 5 November 1954 and received his PhD from Harvard University in 1980 . He is “ probably the most important economist in the world ” ( New York Times ); his fame stemming from him being one of the driving forces behind the MDGs and the SDGs ; his extensive work on fighting poverty , overcoming macroeconomic instability , and promoting sustainable environmental practices ; and his many best-sellers .
Sachs ’ work has taken him to more than 125 countries around the world , where he has advised dozens of heads of state and governments , and he currently serves as a Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres . In addition to his role at Columbia University ( where he is the director of The Earth Institute , Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development , and Professor of Health Policy and Management ) Sachs has authored and edited numerous books , including The End of Poverty ( 2005 ), The Price of Civilization ( 2011 ), and Building the New American Economy : Smart , Fair & Sustainable ( 2017 ). He is the recipient of many awards and honors , including the Blue Planet Prize , the World Sustainability Award , 24 honorary degrees , and many awards and honors around the world .
Although he is considered one of the world ’ s leading experts on economic development , Professor Sachs ’ s work is subject to criticism . For instance , regarding his work on the economicreform program for Russia ( which is widely seen as a failure ), Joseph Stiglitz ( in 1999 and as chief economist for the World Bank ) blamed “ an excessive reliance on textbook models of economics ”. Besides , his ideas on fighting poverty with more aid money and more expert interventions are disputed by William Easterly ( Professor of Economics at New York University , Co-director of the NYU Development Research Institute , author of The Tyranny of Experts : Economists , Dictators , and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor , 2014 ; The White Man ’ s Burden : Why the West ’ s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good , 2006 ), Dambisa Moyo ( author of Dead Aid : Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa , 2009 ) and many others . According to Michael Clemens ( senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and a leading Sachs critic ), “ There is zero scientific evidence that the Millennium Villages Project is meetings its goals .”
But rather than explaining why things ( will ) fail and why good intentions often go to waste , Sachs ’ s discourse is - without playing down the magnitude of the threats the world is facing- that of positivism and optimism , and that is probably what makes it attractive . As he says himself : " You can be pessimistic about the current trajectory , but also optimistic about the solutions ." According to Sachs , the main challenges to sustainable development are vested interests in politics , the technicity of the required solutions , the limited awareness of challenges and solutions . He is quite cautious regarding the first aspect , saying : “ Although we can work together to address major dangers , such as man-induced global warming , we still seem to live in an age that is completely trapped in increasing distrust . We are even at risk of global destruction .” And he is particularly critical of President Trump : “ It is remarkable that the US , which was the dominant power worldwide for the past 75 years , is itself unstable and in some respects a rogue state , a rogue nation … The situation is very serious , and dangerous , until the next president is there .” ( interview given to Universiteit Antwerpen Magazine , March 2018 issue ). However , some initiatives such as China ’ s proposed Global Energy Interconnection – based on renewables , ultra-high-voltage transmission , and an AI-powered smart grid – which he considers “ the boldest global initiative by any government to achieve the goals of the Paris climate agreement ”, make him remain positive overall about the future .
Professor Jeffrey Sachs with IOB student Kujiek Ruot Kuajien after the Masterclass on Sustainable Development .
Sources
- https :// goo . gl / 4gWW4V ( live stream masterclass ) - http :// jeffsachs . org / about / - https :// goo . gl / wQb4Ks ( oxfam blog ) - https :// goo . gl / PHmZWs ( project and syndicate blog )
Exchange to change June 2018