Ideas
Clinical economics
He treats economies the way a doctor treats a patient. Diagnose carefully. Fit the remedy to the context. Monitor results. He compares his crisis work in Bolivia, Poland and Russia to an emergency room. Countries came to him already in crisis.
Wikipedia: The End of Poverty · IMF Finance & Development: A Project in Every Port (December 2012) · PBS Commanding Heights: Shock therapy
Extreme poverty can be ended
In The End of Poverty he argued that extreme poverty could be ended by 2025. The poorest countries need help onto the bottom rung of the development ladder. He asked rich nations to give 0.7 percent of their income in aid. The Millennium Villages tested the idea in rural Africa.
a small amount of funding goes far to achieve bold goals
Lessons from the Millennium Villages Project (2018)
Wikipedia: The End of Poverty · Sachs: Lessons from the Millennium Villages Project (2018)
Sustainable development as the organising idea
Sustainable development has framed his work since the Millennium Goals gave way to the SDGs. He is lead author of the annual Sustainable Development Report which ranks countries on the SDGs. The 2026 edition credited East and South Asia with the most progress since 2015. India rose to 94th of 167 countries. No goal is on track globally.
peace the top priority of our time
Sustainable Development Report launch (June 2026)
SDSN: Sustainable Development Report 2026 · Daily Tribune (23 June 2026) · Drishti IAS: UN Sustainable Development Report 2026
Happiness as a measure of progress
He co-founded the World Happiness Report in 2012. It asks governments to judge success by how people rate their lives and not by income alone. He remains on its editorial board with Helliwell, Layard, De Neve, Aknin and Wang.
There is now a rising worldwide demand that policy be more closely aligned with what really matters to people
World Happiness Report 2013 launch
World Happiness Report: About · World Happiness Report press release (9 September 2013)
The end of Western dominance
He says the world’s economic centre has returned to Asia after a short break that began around 1800. He counts four superpowers: the US, Russia, India and China. In Varanasi in November 2026 he said Washington still sees itself as the boss. He said Britain suffers from “phantom empire syndrome”.
The United States is stuck in an ideology of 1950.
World Symposium, Varanasi (November 2026)
Business Today (13 September 2026) · Business Today (2 November 2026)
India as the largest economy of the century
He says India is growing fastest of all the large countries. He expects India and China to be the two largest economies within 25 years with the US third. In Delhi in April he said India could be the second-largest economy by 2047. In Varanasi he projected India’s share of world output rising from 8.5 percent in 2026 to 15.1 percent by 2100.
At some point in this century, India will be the world’s largest economy.
India Today interview (September 2026)
Business Today (13 September 2026) · Oneindia (2 November 2026) · The Week / PTI (29 April 2026) · Indus Business Journal (30 April 2026)
Non-alignment and India with China
He urges India to stay out of any bloc. He says India should not join the Quad and should settle disputes with China bilaterally. He wants China to back India for a permanent UN Security Council seat. He has also urged India to join RCEP and to use BRICS to defend multilateralism.
It does not have to align with anybody.
FICCI, New Delhi (April 2026)
The Week / PTI (29 April 2026) · Business Today (13 September 2026) · Business Today (27 August 2025)
Ancient wisdom for modern problems
He turns to Aristotle, Confucius and religious ethics for answers to modern crises. SDSN has run workshops on ancient wisdom since Athens in 2022. His book Oikos draws on Aristotle and Confucius. He co-hosted the 2026 symposium in Varanasi with scholars from Europe and Africa.
We need to be on a common path of harmony and diversity
Ahead of the Varanasi symposium (November 2026)
SDSN: Workshop on Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges (2022) · Apple Books: Oikos · ANI (1 November 2026) · The Tribune (1 November 2026)
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