Economist Jeffrey Sachs of Millennium Development Goals and "The End of Poverty" fame will be delivering this year's BBC Reith Lectures. These lectures will be broadcast on BBC Radio Four at the times indicated (GMT)--they are all on Wednesdays:
11 April at 9am (rpt Saturday 14 April at 10.15pm): "Bursting at the Seams"
The 21st century will be marked by severe natural resource limits, the rise of new economic powers and the threats of failed states. These are tectonic changes with the potential to unleash global-scale upheavals. Global cooperation of an unprecedented depth and scale will be needed but we are not yet prepared for such cooperation.
18 April at 8pm (rpt Saturday 21 April at 10.15pm): "Survival in the Anthropocene"
The biggest challenges that we face - climate change, alleviation of hunger, water stress, energy - are translated in the shadow of ignorance into "us versus them" problems, with only the weakest links to underlying scientific principles and technological options.
25 April at 8pm (rpt Saturday 28 April at 10.15pm): "The Great Convergence"
Power andAmerica India China North Atlantic dominance - first Europe then the U.S.
02 May at 8pm (rpt Saturday 05 May at 10.15pm): "Poverty in the Midst of Plenty"
This lecture considers the challenges of extreme poverty and the extreme worry of the rest of the world which fears for its own prosperity. It spells out the limits of the free market to solve these problems and proposes a plan of action which presents choices to those listening.
09 May at 8pm (rpt Saturdays 12 May at 10.15pm): "A New Politics for a New Age"
The key political novelty of our age is mass political awareness and mobilization. Mass mobilization has brought the Age of Empire to an end, and accounts for the failures in Iraq. No society any longer tolerates being ruled by another. Social mobilization can be a dramatic force for positive change.
For my dear non-UK readers, you can stream the BBC Four broadcasts from the Beeb site. The time difference is -5 hours for Eastern standard time (EST). Also, podcast (MP3) files of the lectures will be posted online after each broadcast, though they will be removed after 7 days according to the Beeb. While I lean towards the Easterly more than the Sachs camp in the Easterly-Sachs debate, the sheer intellectual weight that Sachs carries in policymaking circles makes him a must-hear. I look forward to hearing his thoughts on the environment, power shift, development, and political action.
11 April at 9am (rpt Saturday 14 April at 10.15pm): "Bursting at the Seams"
The 21st century will be marked by severe natural resource limits, the rise of new economic powers and the threats of failed states. These are tectonic changes with the potential to unleash global-scale upheavals. Global cooperation of an unprecedented depth and scale will be needed but we are not yet prepared for such cooperation.
18 April at 8pm (rpt Saturday 21 April at 10.15pm): "Survival in the Anthropocene"
The biggest challenges that we face - climate change, alleviation of hunger, water stress, energy - are translated in the shadow of ignorance into "us versus them" problems, with only the weakest links to underlying scientific principles and technological options.
25 April at 8pm (rpt Saturday 28 April at 10.15pm): "The Great Convergence"
Power and
02 May at 8pm (rpt Saturday 05 May at 10.15pm): "Poverty in the Midst of Plenty"
This lecture considers the challenges of extreme poverty and the extreme worry of the rest of the world which fears for its own prosperity. It spells out the limits of the free market to solve these problems and proposes a plan of action which presents choices to those listening.
09 May at 8pm (rpt Saturdays 12 May at 10.15pm): "A New Politics for a New Age"
The key political novelty of our age is mass political awareness and mobilization. Mass mobilization has brought the Age of Empire to an end, and accounts for the failures in Iraq. No society any longer tolerates being ruled by another. Social mobilization can be a dramatic force for positive change.
For my dear non-UK readers, you can stream the BBC Four broadcasts from the Beeb site. The time difference is -5 hours for Eastern standard time (EST). Also, podcast (MP3) files of the lectures will be posted online after each broadcast, though they will be removed after 7 days according to the Beeb. While I lean towards the Easterly more than the Sachs camp in the Easterly-Sachs debate, the sheer intellectual weight that Sachs carries in policymaking circles makes him a must-hear. I look forward to hearing his thoughts on the environment, power shift, development, and political action.
