July 31, 2005

Join dialogue on world poverty
St. Paul Pioneer Press

This month's "Live 8" concerts were designed to cast a spotlight on the problem of global poverty and encourage wealthier nations to forgive the debts of developing countries and offer more money in foreign aid. While the musicians involved didn't get as much discussion of the issue as they'd hoped for at the G-8 Summit, it has stimulated a lot of talk about the best means to ease the burden of poverty.

One forum for such a conversation is found on the Website of Science & Spirit magazine, which has an interesting collection of articles that you can access at www.science-spirit.org.

"Paying the Pauper" allows economist Jeffrey Sachs to explain some of the ideas he's put forth for eliminating poverty, and lets a few other economists take issue with his plan. Other stories feature a former Peace Corps volunteer's lessons learned among the poor, a call for an increased emphasis upon technology, and another economist's ideas for new approaches to development.

by Rob Hubbard