Jeffrey Sachs

3.1. Harvard University

Sachs began his academic career at Harvard University in 1980, joining the faculty as an assistant professor. His rapid advancement saw him promoted to associate professor in 1982. A year later, at the age of 28, he achieved the status of a tenured professor of economics at Harvard, a remarkable feat for his age.

During his 19-year tenure at Harvard, Sachs became the Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade. He also took on significant administrative roles, serving as the director of the Harvard Institute for International Development from 1995 to 1999, and again from 1999 to 2002.

3.2. Columbia University

In 2002, Sachs moved to Columbia University, where he has continued his impactful work in economics and sustainable development. From 2002 to 2016, he served as the director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, a university-wide organization known for its interdisciplinary approach to complex global issues related to sustainable development.

Currently, Sachs holds the position of University Professor at Columbia University and is the director of the Center for Sustainable Development. He is also the Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs and a professor of health policy and management at the Mailman School of Public Health. His teaching includes the undergraduate course "Challenges of Sustainable Development."

4.1. Bolivia

Prior to the 1985 Bolivian general election, Sachs was approached by Hugo Banzer, who sought his advice on an anti-inflation economic plan to implement if elected. Sachs's proposed stabilization plan focused on comprehensive price deregulation, particularly for oil, combined with substantial cuts to the national budget. He famously stated that his plan could halt Bolivia's hyperinflation, which had reached an astounding 14,000%, in a single day. Although Banzer lost the election to Víctor Paz Estenssoro, Sachs's plan was adopted and implemented by the new government. As a result, inflation in Bolivia quickly stabilized within weeks.

Sachs's recommendations for reducing inflation involved applying strict fiscal and monetary discipline and dismantling economic regulations that had historically protected elites and hindered the free market. Following the implementation of his suggestions, the Bolivian government successfully negotiated a settlement for its 3.30 B USD debt to international lenders for approximately 11 cents on the dollar, a debt that at the time represented about 85% of Bolivia's GDP.

4.2. Advising in post-communist economies

In 1989, Sachs provided crucial economic advice to Poland's Solidarity movement and the government led by Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki. He developed a comprehensive plan for Poland's transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, which was subsequently incorporated into Poland's reform program under Finance Minister Leszek Balcerowicz. Sachs was also the primary architect of Poland's debt reduction operation. Working with IMF economist David Lipton, he advised on the rapid conversion of public property and assets to private ownership, which led to the closure of many uncompetitive factories. In Poland, Sachs strongly advocated for a rapid transition to capitalism, initially proposing American-style corporate structures with professional managers and a significant role for stock markets. When this did not align with Polish authorities' preferences, he suggested placing large blocks of shares from privatized companies into private banks. While these reforms initially led to some economic shortages and inflation, prices in Poland eventually stabilized. In recognition of his contributions, the Polish government awarded Sachs the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 1999, and he also received an honorary doctorate from the Kraków University of Economics.

Inspired by Poland's perceived success, Sachs's expertise was sought by Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and later by Russian President Boris Yeltsin to guide the USSR/Russia's transition to a market economy. His methods for stabilizing economies became widely known as "shock therapy," drawing parallels to successful approaches implemented in Germany after the two World Wars. However, Sachs faced significant criticism for his role when the Russian economy experienced considerable struggles following the adoption of market-based shock therapy in the early 1990s.

8.1. China and US-China Relations

Sachs is described as a long-time advocate for dismantling American hegemony and embracing the rise of China. He has consistently argued for closer relations between the United States and China and has warned against the dangers of escalating tensions between the two global powers.

Regarding the repression of the Uyghurs in China, Sachs has stated that the term "genocide" is mistaken in this context. In a January 2021 interview, when pressed on China's treatment of Uyghur people, he avoided direct answers, instead referring to "huge human rights abuses committed by the U.S." and Jesus' parable about the Mote and the Beam. This stance drew criticism from 19 advocacy and rights groups, who jointly wrote to Columbia University, arguing that Sachs's position mirrored that of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs by diverting attention to U.S. human rights issues to avoid discussing China's actions. These groups contended that Sachs "betrayed his institution's mission" by trivializing the perspective of those oppressed by the Chinese government. Stephan Richter, editor-in-chief at The Globalist, and James D. Bindenagel, a former U.S. ambassador, criticized Sachs for "actively agitating for a classic Communist propaganda ploy." In April 2021, Sachs co-authored an article in Project Syndicate with William Schabas, criticizing the U.S. State Department's designation of the Uyghur situation as "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" as "thin," asserting there was no evidence provided by the State Department to substantiate the genocide claim, and calling for its retraction if not proven.

Sachs has also commented on the targeting of Huawei by the U.S. In December 2018, following the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada at the request of the U.S. for alleged sanctions violations, Sachs wrote an article asserting that her arrest was part of U.S. efforts to contain China and accused the U.S. of hypocrisy, noting that no executives of U.S. companies fined for sanctions violations had been arrested. After facing criticism for this article, Sachs closed his Twitter account, which had 260,000 followers. He denied allegations that he was paid by Huawei for writing a foreword to one of their position papers. In June 2020, Sachs stated that the U.S. targeting of Huawei was not solely driven by security concerns.

8.2. COVID-19 Pandemic and Origins

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeffrey Sachs publicly dismissed the COVID-19 lab leak theory, which suggested the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated from a Chinese laboratory. He called the theory "reckless and dangerous," arguing that right-wing politicians pointing fingers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology could "push the world to conflict," and stated that "Neither the biology nor chronology support the laboratory-release story."

In spring 2020, Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, appointed Sachs as chair of its COVID-19 Commission, which aimed to provide recommendations for public health policy and improve medical practice. Sachs established several task forces, including one dedicated to investigating the origins of the virus. He appointed British American disease ecologist Peter Daszak, a colleague from Columbia, to lead this task force, just two weeks after the Trump administration ended a federal grant supporting Daszak's EcoHealth Alliance project, which involved collaborations with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Sachs later came to believe that Daszak had a conflict of interest due to his connections to the Wuhan lab and the nature of the lab's research. Richard Ebright, a chemical biologist at Rutgers University, critically labeled the commission an "entirely Potemkin commission" in the National Review. As Sachs became increasingly convinced by the possibility of a lab leak, he found himself in conflict with Daszak and his task force. Daszak subsequently resigned as chair of the task force in June 2021, and Sachs disbanded the group in September of that year.

By July 2022, Sachs stated he was "pretty convinced," though "not sure," that COVID-19 originated from "U.S. lab biotechnology." This viewpoint is considered by the European Union to be COVID-19 disinformation by China. While Sachs leaned towards the possibility of a virus leak from a "U.S.-backed laboratory research program," he maintained that "A natural spillover is also possible, of course. Both hypotheses are viable at this stage." In August 2022, Sachs appeared on the podcast of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a proponent of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, where he claimed that officials like Anthony Fauci were not being truthful about the origins of COVID.

In September 2022, the Lancet Commission published a comprehensive report on the pandemic, concluding that the virus's origins remained unknown. The report presented two leading hypotheses: a zoonotic spillover from wildlife or a farm animal, possibly through a wet market, at an undetermined location; or a research-related incident, either during field collection of viruses or a laboratory-associated escape. The commissioners held diverse views on the probabilities of these explanations, emphasizing that both possibilities required further scientific investigation. Virologist David Robertson criticized the suggestion of U.S. laboratory involvement as "wild speculation," expressing disappointment that such an influential report contributed to misinformation. Angela Rasmussen of the Canadian Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization called the report's release "one of The Lancet's most shameful moments" regarding its role in communicating crucial scientific and medical findings.

8.3. War in Ukraine

Jeffrey Sachs has offered strong opinions and analysis regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its broader geopolitical context.

In May 2022, Sachs stated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, would be difficult to decisively end militarily. He also argued that Finland's moves to join NATO would undermine efforts for a negotiated peace, deeming "all of this talk of defeating Russia... reckless." In June 2022, he co-signed an open letter calling for a "ceasefire" in the conflict and questioned Western countries' continued military support for Ukraine.

In 2022, Sachs made multiple appearances on a top-rated show funded by the Russian government, hosted by Vladimir Solovyov. During these appearances, he advocated for Ukraine to negotiate and abandon its "maximalist demands" of removing Russia from Ukrainian territory.

Sachs has also suggested that the United States was responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline. In February 2023, he was invited by the Russian government to address the United Nations Security Council on this topic. His commentary and analysis concerning the war in Ukraine and its geopolitical implications have drawn significant criticism. In March 2023, a group of 340 economists published an open letter specifically criticizing his views on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

8.4. Other International Policy Stances

Sachs has taken positions on various other international policy matters. In April 2018, he supported President Donald Trump's view that the United States should withdraw from Syria "very soon," adding that "It's long past time for the United States to end its destructive military engagement in Syria and across the Middle East, though the security state seems unlikely to let this happen." When questioned in a 2023 interview about whether he was aware that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had killed his own people, Sachs denied knowledge of this specific claim, stating he was "aware of a lot more than you are aware of about Syria, because I know a great deal about the day-to-day events from the spring of 2011 onward."

A 2019 report co-authored by Sachs and Mark Weisbrot, published by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, claimed that a 31% increase in deaths in Venezuela between 2017 and 2018 was attributable to the sanctions imposed on Venezuela in 2017, potentially resulting in 40,000 deaths. The report asserted that "The sanctions are depriving Venezuelans of lifesaving medicines, medical equipment, food, and other essential imports." Weisbrot noted that while the authors could not definitively prove the excess deaths were solely due to sanctions, the increase paralleled the imposition of the measures and a corresponding fall in oil production. A United States Department of State spokesperson dismissed the report as based on "speculation and conjecture." Ricardo Hausmann, a Harvard economist and advisor to then-Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, criticized the analysis as flawed, citing invalid assumptions, failure to rule out other explanations, and incorrect accounting of PDVSA finances.

Sachs has also weighed in on energy policy, stating in 2012 that nuclear power was the only solution to climate change. However, by 2021, he suggested that carbon neutrality could be achieved without nuclear power by mid-century if rapid technological development continues.

Regarding trade agreements, Sachs has expressed skepticism about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He argues that economic policy should aim to improve the lives of all societal strata, including low-income and middle-class individuals, rather than solely benefiting the wealthy. He voiced concerns about provisions like ISDS and excessive copyright protections within the TPP, which he believed primarily benefited large pharmaceutical companies and could undermine national legal systems. He also criticized the absence of dedicated chapters on environmental and labor standards in the TPP, despite proponents' assurances. Sachs concluded that the U.S. Congress should reject the TPP. He also joined Joseph Stiglitz, Laura Tyson, and Robert Reich in advocating for an increase in the U.S. minimum wage from 7.25 USD to 9.8 USD by 2014.

9.1. Criticism of Economic Policies and Development Projects

Sachs's policies for the global eradication of extreme poverty have drawn considerable debate. Nina Munk, author of the 2013 book The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty, concluded that "sometimes good intentions have left people even worse off than before" and that the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) was a failure. Stephan Richter, editor-in-chief at The Globalist, and James D. Bindenagel, a former U.S. ambassador, acknowledged Sachs's significant role in popularizing the language and thinking behind sustainable development but also noted the controversies surrounding his work.

William Easterly, a professor of economics at New York University, reviewed "The End of Poverty" for The Washington Post, likening Sachs's poverty eradication plan to "a sort of Great Leap Forward". Easterly's analysis, presented in his book The White Man's Burden, argued that massive aid, as proposed by Sachs, is often ineffective because its impact is hampered by poor governance and corruption. He contended that "When we control both for initial poverty and for bad government, it is bad government that explains the slower growth. We cannot statistically discern any effect of initial poverty on subsequent growth once we control for bad government."

American travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux criticized Sachs's 120.00 M USD effort to aid Africa, asserting that these temporary measures failed to create sustained improvements. Theroux highlighted a specific MVP project in Dertu, Kenya, a sparsely populated community of nomadic camel herders, which cost 2.50 M USD over a three-year period. According to Theroux, the project's latrines became clogged, dormitories quickly dilapidated, and a livestock market established by the project ignored local customs and shut down within months. He reported that an angry Dertu citizen filed a 15-point written complaint against Sachs's operation, claiming it "created dependence" and that "the project is supposed to be bottom top approached but it is visa-versa."

Canadian journalist Naomi Klein has identified Jeffrey Sachs as one of the architects of "disaster capitalism," arguing that his economic recommendations in Bolivia, Poland, and Russia led to millions of people experiencing severe hardship and displacement.

9.2. Controversies Regarding Views on China

Sachs has faced significant criticism concerning his perceived leniency towards China and his public statements on human rights issues within the country. His involvement with Huawei also sparked controversy. In December 2018, after Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's arrest, Sachs wrote an article accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy and efforts to contain China. This led to criticism, and Sachs subsequently closed his Twitter account. He denied allegations of being paid by Huawei for his work.

In their 2020 book Hidden Hand, Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg commented on Sachs's article criticizing the U.S. government's portrayal of Huawei. They argued that Sachs's article would have been more credible had he not maintained a close relationship with Huawei, including his prior endorsement of the company's "vision of our shared digital future." The authors also alleged that Sachs has ties to several Chinese state bodies and the private energy corporation CEFC China Energy, for which he has spoken.

His remarks on the repression of Uyghur people in China generated substantial controversy. During a January 2021 interview, Sachs avoided direct answers to questions about the issue, instead deflecting by referring to "huge human rights abuses committed by the U.S." and the biblical parable of the Mote and the Beam. Following this, 19 advocacy and rights groups jointly sent a letter to Columbia University, questioning Sachs's comments. The signatories argued that Sachs adopted the same logic as China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, using a digression to U.S. human rights history to avoid discussing China's mistreatment of Uyghurs. They further stated that Sachs "betrayed his institution's mission" by trivializing the perspective of those oppressed by the Chinese government. Stephan Richter and J.D. Bindenagel, writing in The Globalist, criticized Sachs for "actively agitating for a classic Communist propaganda ploy." National Review described Sachs as "China's Apologist in Chief," asserting that he has "long opined with a tolerant attitude toward authoritarian regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party," and "routinely adopts Beijing's line on a host of issues, including the origin of COVID-19, China's role in the world, and the Uyghur genocide."

9.3. Controversies Regarding COVID-19 Origins

Sachs's evolving views and statements on the origins of COVID-19 have also been a source of controversy. Initially, he dismissed the COVID-19 lab leak theory as "reckless and dangerous." However, as chair of The Lancet COVID-19 Commission, he appointed Peter Daszak to lead the task force on origins, despite Daszak's connections to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Sachs later acknowledged Daszak's conflict of interest and disbanded the task force.

Subsequently, Sachs became more open to the lab leak theory, stating in July 2022 that he was "pretty convinced," though "not sure," that COVID-19 originated from "U.S. lab biotechnology," a claim that the European Union considers COVID-19 disinformation by China. His appearance on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s podcast, where he questioned the honesty of officials like Anthony Fauci regarding COVID origins, further fueled controversy. When the Lancet Commission's report was released in September 2022, stating that the origins remained unknown but presenting both zoonotic spillover and research-related incident hypotheses, his suggestion of U.S. laboratory involvement was criticized by virologists David Robertson as "wild speculation" and by Angela Rasmussen as contributing to misinformation.

9.4. Controversies Regarding the War in Ukraine

Jeffrey Sachs's commentary and analysis concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its geopolitical implications have drawn significant criticism. In March 2023, a group of 340 economists published an open letter specifically condemning his views on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. His appearances on Russian government-funded television, where he advocated for Ukraine to negotiate and drop its "maximalist demands," have also been noted. Furthermore, his suggestion that the United States was responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline and his subsequent invitation by the Russian government to address the United Nations Security Council on the topic have added to the controversies surrounding his geopolitical stances.

12.1. Selected works

• Sachs, Jeffrey (2020). The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions. Columbia University Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (2018). A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism. Columbia University Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (2017). Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, and Sustainable. Columbia University Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey; Pan, Ki-mun (2015). The Age of Sustainable Development. Columbia University Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (2013). To Move the World: JFK's Quest for Peace. Random House.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (2011). The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity. Random House.
• Sachs, Jeffrey D. (June 2010). "Millennium Development Goals at 10". Scientific American.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (2008). Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet. Penguin Press.
• Humphreys, Macartan; Sachs, Jeffrey; Stiglitz, Joseph E. (eds.) (2007). Escaping the Resource Curse. Columbia University Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (2005). The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. Penguin Press.
• Kirkman, Geoffrey S.; Cornelius, Peter K.; Sachs, Jeffrey D.; Schwab, Klaus (2002). The Global Information Technology Report 2001-2002: Readiness for the Networked World. Oxford University Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (October 4, 2002). "A New Global Effort to Control Malaria". Science.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (2002). Resolving the Debt Crisis of Low-Income Countries. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (Summer 2001). "The Strategic Significance of Global Inequality". Washington Quarterly.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (1997). Development Economics. Blackwell Publishers.
• Sachs, Jeffrey; Pistor, Katharina (1997). The Rule of Law and Economic Reform in Russia. Westview Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (1994). Poland's Jump to the Market Economy. MIT Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey; Larraín B., Felipe (1993). Macroeconomics in the Global Economy. Prentice Hall.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (ed.) (1991). Developing Country Debt and Economic Performance, Volume 1: The International Financial System. University of Chicago Press.
• Sachs, Jeffrey; McKibbin, Warwick (1991). Global Linkages: Macroeconomic Interdependence and Co-operation in the World Economy. Brookings Institution.
• Sachs, Jeffrey (ed.) (1989). Developing Country Debt and the World Economy. University of Chicago Press.
• Bruno, Michael; Sachs, Jeffrey (1985). Economics of Worldwide Stagflation. Harvard University Press.