They take in 8 chapters and 48 indicators

THE END OF POVERTY

"How We Can Make It Happen in Our Lifetime", by Jeffrey Sachs, London, Penguin Books, 2005, 396 pages

The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) prescribed for a set of objectives in the fight against poverty adopted by the United Nations in September 2000. They take in 8 chapters and 48 indicators. The first is to "reduce extreme poverty and hunger", by reducing by half by 2015 the proportion of the population to less than 1 dollar a day income. It similarly to approximately one sixth of humanity.

The Economist and consultant globetrotting Jeffrey Sachs believes that such goals are attainable. Better, it considers, in this book, that it is possible to completely eradicate extreme poverty by 2025. To do this, it must be spend development aid to 195 billion dollars per year, i.e. the double. Intellectual star and friend of the stars (Bono preface his book), Jeffrey Sachs is Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University (New York). He repeats that hear (and read) it worked (with various success) in 100 countries on all continents. Sachs drew, he explained, a method of observation, analysis and response based on the diagnosis and the creation of appropriate treatments.

Based (like everyone) the "field", he called for the funding of programs such as free schools or the generalization of the nets. Sachs, probably rightly, argues that the generous speech public on the MDGs are required by leaders, the IMF, who actually did believe not. He also highly critical the IMF which would have imposed "budgetary belts to patients far too poor to support". A little naive: "The MDGs can be achieved if rich countries and poor countries work together on practical projects." Often decried by researchers, but by political leaders, major philanthropists and artists, "Jeff", which also cites although Kant as the CIA, wants to make his project of a generation.

REINVENTING FOREIGN AID

under the direction of William Easterly, Cambridge, MIT Press, 2008, 567 pages

William Easterly is not the friend of Jeff. Teaching him also in New York (New York University), it considers that the development aid is a resounding failure. Former World Bank, he wrote that none of the potions of Dr. Sachs had truly effect. Basically, nothing would have been shown on the linkages between aid and growth. Amateur saignantes polemics, he wrote in the introduction to this volume he led that large-scale aid serves no purpose. And it puts on the attacks. Countries that have experienced the strongest development are those who have received the least help. Conversely, those who have received the most assistance remained the least developed. Cancel the debt of the countries poor is a premium to inefficiency or corruption. The messianism of intervention of economists "clinics" at the Sachs and Bono, Brad Pitt or Bill Gates stars, has good feelings as well as neocolonialism accents. NGOs and UN agencies have become a bureaucratic-assistanciel complex that would more than survival.

Easterly distinguished "planners" (villains) and the "researchers" (the Gentiles). The first to give grandiose goals and superb strategies are developed. The latter are much more humble and they based their beliefs on insured but necessarily limited knowledge. Citing Hayek, Easterly considers that the planned and centralised intervention is doomed to failure. Of course, the vaccination campaigns work. But they are based on scientifically validated approaches. In addition, the success of their method does not necessarily call a replication on other topics (such as the financing of local associations).

Easterly, with 24 authors that he has met (and are not all in agreement with him), argues for rigorous. It is not the General and high-sounding strategies that work, but the concrete programs, properly equipped and evaluated. Esther Duflo defends there's random assessments and the use of experimentation. Kurt Hoffman points out that it is the entrepreneurial spirit needed everywhere breathe rather than monetary aid. All the authors compiled by Easterly converge, even if they agree broadly on the effectiveness of the mechanisms of market or leap ("vouchers") to combat poverty.

DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS THROUGH THE DECADES

"A Critical Look at 30 Years of the World Development Report",

by Shahid Yusuf, The World Bank, 2008, 188 pages

Beyond the Sachs controversy (assistance is necessary) against Easterly (market must prevail), institutions continue to work, the poor to meet difficulties, NGOs to mobilize, rich countries concerned. The World Bank proposes a useful back on three decades of analysis and intervention in development economics. This discipline is born for the rich as a result of the second world war, before economists focus on the process of development of low-income countries.

Since 1978, the World Bank annually publishes its report on the development in the world. The first documents, under the chairmanship of Robert McNamara, already devoted to poverty and its alleviation. To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of this reference, a DVD containing all of the reports was completed. A critical review was conducted by Shahid Yusuf, an economist of the institution. Appropriate in light of technical advances in the study of the extension of the theme, everything is quickly and effectively treated in this short book. Note that, according to the findings of Yusuf, the progress (that he wants now sustainable) development will be primarily due to the hard sciences. Hard lesson for the so-called social sciences.

This test, free of charge online (), comes with 5 comments. In his text, William Easterly (again) resumed his criticism. In another note, Joseph Stiglitz which he also participated in this adventure is much less critical. If he knows how the report may seem doctrinaire compiling beliefs in vogue at the time, he well reiterated its importance in terms of information.