50 economists examine ten of the world’s biggest challenges and place as Number 1 because of its “immediate and important consequences for improving the wellbeing of poor people around the world,” to combat malnutrition in the 140 million children in the world who are undernourished.
The end result of two years of research by more than 50 economists, including many Nobel laureates, is a prioritized list highlighting the potential of 30 specific solutions to combat some of the biggest challenges facing the world.
The Copenhagen Consensus 2008, funded by The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brought together 50 economists to examine ten of the world’s biggest challenges and to propose cost-efficient solutions to those problems. During the last week in May, an expert panel of 8 top economists, including 5 Nobel Laureates, assessed the research, producing the prioritized list of solutions.
According to the press release announcing the results of the research, “Providing micronutrients for 80% of the 140 million children who lack essential vitamins in the form of vitamin A capsules and a course of zinc supplements would cost just $60 million per year.”
Finn E. Kydland, a Nobel Laureate in economics and a member of the expert panel says that it is “hard to see how one could do any better in terms of coming up with a well-founded list of where to start for the purpose of betterment of the dire conditions in much of the world.”
The press release and other information about the Copenhagen Consensus project can be found on the Copenhagen Consensus Center website
See also reference to the ECONOMIST
2004 conference drew critiques
See entry in Wikipedia (Neutrality of article disputed)
Tags: Anti-poverty strategies, Health, Hunger