28 June 2013

Sachs Sells

Oh dear, the current edition of Foreign Policy (FP) has yet another article about Jeff Sachs: "Does it Take A Village?"

Quite what this story is doing in the "Failed States" edition I don't know, but there is absolutely nothing new in it.

The story revolves around the Millennium Villages story of a year ago in the Lancet when I and a few others wrote a letter pointing out a few basic flaws in a Lancet paper from Sachs' team purporting to show the MVP's positive effects on a range of development outcomes.

The point of the FP article? As far as I can tell, to call some of those people up and ask them about the one year old story. I'm surprised they bothered cooperating. I'm surprised they could even remember it.

I think Jeff Sachs has some flaws (newsflash 1--we all do) but I also think he has some tremendous strengths (newsflash 2--we all don't).

It's time to stop Sachs-ing up stories with tittle tattle about the Prof.

While FP should be writing about the next set of Global Development Goals, it is writing this piffle. FP, you should be embarrassed.

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