The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs

The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilites for Our Time Jeffrey D. Sachs December 2005 Penguin 416 pages Nonfiction, Economics

Reading The End of Poverty really illuminated for me the fact that economics is just not my thing.  I may care about these issues, I may be passionate about the idea of ending poverty forever, and I may THINK that this book will help me to reformulate my ideas and beliefs about how this can happen.  While all these things are true, I still had a really, really hard time with this book.

I hate that.  I feel as though I’m not smart enough to grasp the concepts Sachs set forth here.  I know that’s not true, but this econ thing is just not for me.

Why don’t I attempt to explain the premise of the book?  Basically, after Jeffrey Sachs spent twenty-some-odd years advising different countries on how to deal with their economic issues, he decided that it’s actually possible, and in fact would be remarkably simple, to eradicate poverty on this planet if we do the right things.  Sachs first spent several chapters detailing the work he’s done in other countries, what’s been accomplished in some of the poorest places in the world and what has yet to be done, and then puts together a systematic and common-sense analysis of what we can do, what we NEED to do, to eradicate extreme poverty from the face of the earth for good.

I most enjoyed the chapters detailing Sachs’ work with different governments and economics experts around the world.  I found it fascinating to read about the progress that has been made in some places, in such short time periods, with little aid from other countries.  Obviously a lot more needs to be done, in those countries and others, or he wouldn’t have had to write the book, but the progress that’s been made in some places is remarkable to read about.

But when Sachs starts talking facts, figures, and graphs, my eyes start to glaze over and I have a hard time getting the information into my brain (and making it stay there).  I’m sure most of what he put forth makes perfect sense, but I had an extremely rough time analyzing his arguments.  I am just not good with all the numbers, plain and simple.

I feel like I’m smarter for having read and attempted to understand this book.  And there were parts I definitely enjoyed, definitely learned something from.  But generally, economics is just not my thing, and I suppose I need to be okay with that.