Ending Global Poverty

Paper Summary:

The paper examines Jeffrey Sachs' arguments in his work, "The End of Poverty", about how to alleviate poverty in the poorest countries in the world and highlights the flaws inherent in his arguments. The paper then explores John Perkins' arguments in "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" who reveals that developed nations use the poverty of developing nations to their advantage and, therefore, they do not wish to see these nations succeed in any manner. The paper relates that Perkins has been responsible for harming the economies of various countries around the world, as is especially evident in Latin America. The paper therefore concludes that while Jeffrey Sachs' ideas are good in theory, they would not work because the developed world does not actually want to end poverty. The paper asserts that while there are some criticisms of Perkins' work, it is difficult to argue with him since he knows first hand what happens in these countries.

From the Paper:

"The books The End of Poverty, by Jeffrey Sachs, and Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins, offer two differing opinions on the state of global poverty. Sachs is optimistic that if members of the United Nations were to follow his guidelines, that extreme poverty could be eliminated by 2025. This would mean that each country would have to contribute a certain amount each year for the next decade in order to ensure that this program would work. Sachs is very confident in his ability as an economist and he believes that his method would definitely work if given the proper chance. One thing that Sachs also suggests is an approach called "shock therapy" where government intervention into the economy suddenly stops and a free market is created."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Prevost, Gary and Vanden, Harry E. Politics of Latin America: The Power Game. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002

More papers on Ending Global Poverty:

• Argumentative Essay # 147197 : "The End of Poverty and a Prosperous World"
• Book Review # 122827 : "End of Poverty" - A Review"
• Analytical Essay # 128475 : "Health Care and Poverty"

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