Jeffrey Sachs: rolling back neo-liberalism through neo-modernization?

Challenging the perceived wisdom of Jeffrey Sachs

By: Sneyd A
Published by: BISA International Political Economy Group (IPEG) , 2006
Via: Eldis

As popular awareness of global poverty reaches new heights in the rich world, with politicians turning up their rhetorical volume on the subject, little has changed amongst the community of experts tasked with understanding development issues. Indeed, a recycling of conventional wisdom is evident and has supporters in all corners of the ring. One such protagonist, Jeffrey Sachs, is chief among the knowledgeable rich on the conditions of the poor.

This paper presents a critique of Sachs' methodology to identify the barriers to poverty eradication. In short, the author argues that Sachs' approach is somewhat insular and undermines his intent. The paper finds a lack of conceptual rigour, insufficient or incorrect evidence, and a very clear ideological bias resulting from the Sachs doctrine.

The paper begins by presenting the argument that Sachs' writing on poverty eradication is little more than neo-modernised discourse. The methodology proposed by Sachs is detailed, followed by a critique which leads to the conclusion that Sachs advocates a markedly neo-liberal future.