The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty

Nina Munk

September 10, 2013

The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty by Nina Munk is an inspiring and informative book delving into the life and work of Jeffrey Sachs, one of the most well-known economists of our time. It documents his efforts to combat poverty in developing countries across the world, driven by his belief that extreme poverty can be eradicated with the right combination of technical assistance and financial and social investments. Munk takes readers on a journey to examine Sachs’s successes and failures and the hard-fought and ultimately successful campaigns he leads in Bolivia, Poland and Russia, and in the African homelands of Zambia, Malawi, Uganda and Ethiopia.Munk's account is frank and unsparing, but serves as testament to Sachs’s resolve and commitment to his cause. She reveals the details and complexities of a man, who is both respected and vilified for his unconventional and wide-reaching methods. Readers get an intimate picture of the man behind the quest to banish poverty, demonstrating his brilliance and resourcefulness as well as his human foibles and failings. Munk also shows the contrasts between Sachs’s brand of technocratic idealism and the often impenetrable realities of cultures and political structures, providing a fascinating and balanced account of the man and his ambitions.