Blue Planet Prize Story

American economist Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs was invited to Bolivia. It was there that he began his long career as economic advisor to developing countries. He proposed specific economic measures suitable for each country and contributed to their economic reconstruction and growth.

While economists tend to propose solution based solely on their theories and data without considering the actual conditions in each country, Professor Sachs analyzes the details of each country utilizing his experience and provides an accurate diagnosis of the individual country’s problems. This method is called clinical economics.

Based on his belief that with the help of rich countries in reaching the first step on the ladder, poor countries can break out of poverty, he pushed for the eradication of extreme poverty in the world.

Using his positions at international organizations, he then took the initiative in proposing solutions for many problems in the world. As the Chairman of a committee at the World Health Organization (WHO), for example, he worked on controlling infectious diseases in Africa. As director of the Millennium Project he worked toward achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He continues pointing out the importance of solving problems through world-wide cooperation. He also focuses on problems in advanced countries and advocates the creation of societies in which people give greater consideration to others and the environment rather than placing such an emphasis on consumption.

By 2015, the year set to achieve the MDGs, marked effects had been realized with the reduction of extreme poverty and hunger by more than half.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are post MDGs, were adopted by UN member countries. We all hope to see the ideas and progress toward a sustainable and fair society under the initiative of Professor Sachs.

Group Work

You already understand Professor Sachs’ belief that the reduction of poverty around the world requires the application of different measures according country and conditions. Deeper understanding of this concept is essential in teaching.

Understanding the Meaning of Poverty [Primary]

You should focus on helping students understand the meaning of poverty. In this stage, please focus on encouraging students to consider what poverty is through comparison with their current standard of living without considering the actual causes of poverty.
*Poverty here means absolute poverty as a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human necessities. Below, we will explain relative poverty as a condition in which people lack the minimum income needed to maintain the average standard of living in the society in which they live.

Step 1:

Ask students what they think poverty is.

If students say things related to social background such as "Children cannot attend school" or "Children are working under harsh conditions" along with things that can be seen in advanced countries such as "There are many homeless and street children" (Students may not use the specific terms, but describe similar things), please use the opinions to move on to the next step.

Step 2:

Select some responses and ask students to think about and discuss why the problems they mentioned occur.

For example, if you focus on what prevents children from attending school, you may ask your students to consider the differences between themselves and children who cannot go to school.

(Examples)
"There are no schools."
Why is it that they cannot build schools, hire teachers, and provide textbooks to children?

"Children need to work and have no time to attend school."
Why is it that they cannot live on what their parents earn?

*As this is the primary step, it is not necessary to seek causes. It is enough if students can understand the actual situations in those countries such as "The country does not have sufficient revenue to provide education" or "Wages are too low so parents cannot afford to live."

[Important points!]

Please avoid giving students a specific impression of poverty that may lead to discriminatory attitudes. Professor Sachs also warns against relative poverty in advanced countries. You should consider teaching students about poverty in advanced countries in the next step after ensuring that students truly understand the basic meaning of poverty.

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*Absolute poverty is defined by the World Bank as follows:
The World Bank defines the new international poverty line as $1.90 a day (from October 2015). They see people living on less than $1.90 a day as living in extreme poverty.
This international poverty line is used in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger). The original international poverty line was set at $1.00 a day.

[Reference]

• Poverty - The World Bank

Introduction to Clinical Economics - Diagnosing Countries [Advanced]

Students understand the characteristics of countries and regions, and study about the issues and causes that those countries and regions have, and consider solutions.

Step 1:

• Each group chooses a country or region to diagnose. (1 to 3 choices per group) In order to prevent them from choosing countries that they know well or have preconceptions about, use of a drawing or other means of random selection is recommended.
• Students summarize the characteristics of each country following procedures (1) to (3) below. The period of this step should be more than one week. Because it is impossible for students to fly to the actual sites, students research information in libraries and on the Internet.
• (1) Basic information on the country (geography, climate, population, ethnics, industries, culture, GDP per capita, poverty rate, enrollment rate, etc.)
• (2) Attractions
• (3) Problems

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*(2) and (3) can be considered subjectively. Because it is important for students to get information on each country and region from a fair rather than a biased viewpoint, students should be encouraged to think about both (2) and (3).

*Before having students gather information on each country or region, you may ask students to write down what they think of the country or region. It may be interesting if students can compare the feeling before and after learning about the country or region.

Step 2:

• Students consider the causes of the problems pointed out in Step 1 (3). Causes are often found during step 1. Therefore, Step 1 and 2 can be worked on together.

Step 3:

• Students consider solutions for the problems of each country considering the causes. Students discuss solutions for the causes of poverty found in Step 2. They can discuss each cause separately. Please provide a certain amount of time for information gathering in advance to prevent superficial opinions.

Step 4:

• Students in each group present the results and classify problems. For common problems among countries, students compare the causes and solutions among countries. Teachers can help students to consider that there may be different causes and solutions for the same problem, and that there are some problems that the world can work on together.

(Example)

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[Important points!]

Correct answers are not as important as encouraging the students to consider causes and measures by themselves. For example, considering the causes of poverty may reach the point that it is necessary for all countries in the world to cooperate for solving problems. However, you do not need to stick to the point. Please leave students to consider freely and respect their opinions.