Study Guide
How did you like the story of Professor Sachs?
This page helps you to review and deepen your understanding of the story. Some information you can only find here!
[Target Audience: Upper elementary grades]
Quiz game!
Q1 : What does Professor Sachs think is needed to eliminate poverty in a country?
Q2 : According to Professor Sachs, which of the following is not a cause of poverty?
Answers
Q1: What does Professor Sachs think is needed to eliminate poverty in a country?
A2: Because each country is different, we need to apply different methods.
[Solution recommended by Professor Sachs]
Professor Sachs thinks it is necessary to consider different solutions for different countries because each country has different situations and problems. He also thinks that it is important to visit the country to see the actual situation and consider solutions from the perspective of the people living there. Clinical economics is based on this idea.
Q2: According to Professor Sachs, which of the following is not a cause of poverty?
A2: People living in poor countries do not have the ability to be rich.
[Reasons for poverty according to Professor Sachs]
Professor Sachs thinks that some conditions have a significant impact on countries. (He says that it is wrong for people in rich countries to think that they are superior to those living in poor countries and that they became wealthy without any help.) He also points out that poverty itself prevents poor countries from becoming richer.
Important points!
Professor Sachs proposed specific measures to end poverty and realize a sustainable society, and has continued to enlighten people around the world. We can learn many things from the activities that Professor Sachs was involved in.
Identifying the causes of problems and taking appropriate measures to address them will lead to significant progress.
Ending poverty and realizing a sustainable society are goals that all countries must work toward together. In order to do so, it is important for each of us to take action with consideration for all people in the world.
More details!
Checklist of Individual Conditions in Clinical Economics
When people visit the doctor, they fill out a questionnaire. You may have seen one before. The questionnaire asks screening questions to help the doctor understand the patient’s condition, questions such as "When did you first notice you symptoms?" "Where does it hurt?" or "Are you currently taking any medicines?"
Professor Sachs' made a Checklist for Development Economics to diagnose countries. He checks the state of each country, understands the conditions, and considers the best solution.
Professor Sachs' Checklist for Development Economics (Overview)*
Swipe left to browse all
| Group | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. Poverty Trap | Where does extreme poverty exist? / Proportion and location of households lacking basic requirements/ Key risk factors for poverty |
| 2. Economic Policy Framework | Is the environment appropriate for business?/ Is the market open to other countries? |
| 3. Fiscal Framework and Fiscal Trap | Are the country’s revenues used appropriately? |
| 4. Physical Geography | Transport conditions/ Impact of the natural environment on agriculture and citizens |
| 5. Governance Patterns and Failures | State of governance |
| 6. Cultural Barriers | Does society treat people equally regardless of gender, ethnicity, and religion? |
| 7. Geopolitics | Relationship with other countries |
*This is the summary of the Checklist for Development Economics listed in The End of Poverty written by Professor Sachs.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Let’s take a look at Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were created as an alternative program for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). MDGs were a result of the Millennium Declaration adopted by the UN Millennium Summit and the International Development Goals adopted at international conferences in the 1990s. Eight goals, including the elimination of poverty, were established to address problems in developing countries.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
| Goal | Major Target (Specific target to be achieved) |
|---|---|
|
Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger |
Reduce the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.25 by half |
| Reduce the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by half | |
| Goal 2 Achieve universal primary education |
Ensure that children everywhere, boys and girls alike, are able to complete a full course of primary schooling |
| Goal 3 Promote gender equality and the empowerment of women |
Eliminate gender disparity in all levels of education |
| Goal 4 Reduce child mortality |
Reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds |
| Goal 5 Improve maternal health |
Reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters |
| Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases |
Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS |
| Goal 7 Ensure environmental sustainability |
Cut the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by half |
| Goal 8 Global partnership for development |
In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications technologies |
MDGs resulted in certain results by the end of 2015, which was the deadline set for the achievement of goals.
Source: Millennium Development Goals Report 2015
However, not all the problems have been solved. Countries have adopted new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in post-MDGs programs to build a better world, a world in which "no one is left behind."
There are 17 SDGs aiming to realize sustainable development for society and the environment. Each goal has specific targets. For example, one of the targets for Goal 1 (End poverty in all its forms everywhere) is "By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25* a day." The total number of targets is 169.
Source: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
(Full text including 17 goals and 169 targets)
*This changed to "$1.90 per day" from October 2015.
All the countries in the world need to take action to achieve the SDGs. Each country must consider what it can do, what its priorities are, decide what the most important targets are, and work to achieve them. If you were in charge, how would you choose targets and how would you work to achieve them?
Professor Sachs asks all of us to remember the 17 goals and work together to achieve them. It is not easy, but please try to remember them.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
| Goal | ||
|---|---|---|
| Goal 1 End poverty |
 |
Eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere |
| Goal 2 End hunger |
 |
End hunger, ensure access by all people to sufficient safe and nutritious food, and ensure sustainable food production systems |
| Goal 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being |
 |
Ensure health for people of all ages and promote welfare systems |
| Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education |
 |
Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education, and promote lifelong study |
| Goal 5 Achieve gender equality |
 |
Ensure gender equality, and promote the empowerment of all women and girls *Empowerment: Being able to exercise ability |
| Goal 6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation |
 |
Achieve equitable access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for all, and ensure sustainable management |
| Goal 7 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy |
 |
Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services for all |
| Goal 8 Promote sustainable economic growth and productive employment |
 |
Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive employment, and decent job creation for all |
| Goal 9 Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation |
 |
Develop resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote the expansion of technical innovation |
| Goal 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries |
 |
Correct inequality within and among countries |
| Goal 11 Make cities and human settlements sustainable |
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Enhance inclusive, safe and sustainable urbanization |
| Goal 12 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns |
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Ensure sustainable consumption and production cycle |
| Goal 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts |
 |
Take emergency measures to handle climate change and its impact |
| Goal 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources |
 |
Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources |
| Goal 15 Protect sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems |
 |
Ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, promote the implementation of sustainable management for all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation, and prevent biodiversity from being damaged |
| Goal 16 Peace/ Justice of laws/ Effective systems |
 |
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
| Goal 17 Global partnership to achieve goals |
 |
Enhance measures and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development |
Professor Sachs is
featured in Gring and Woodin's Comic!
- Gring and Woodin's Comic
- Blue Planet Prize Fun School Series
- Prof. Sachs' Fun School