Jeffrey David Sachs American economist Date of Birth: 05.11.1954 Country: USA

Biography of Jeffrey David Sachs

Jeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He gained recognition as one of the youngest economics professors in the history of Harvard University and became renowned for his role as an advisor to governments in Eastern Europe and developing countries during the transition from planned to market economies and economic crises. However, some of his recommendations were controversial.

In subsequent years, Sachs became known for his work on issues of economic development, environmental sustainability, poverty reduction, debt relief, and globalization. He currently holds the position of Professor of Sustainable Development at the School of International and Public Affairs and Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. Sachs is a special advisor to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the founder and co-chair of the Millennium Promise Alliance, a non-profit organization focused on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

From 2002 to 2006, Jeffrey Sachs served as the director of the United Nations Millennium Project, where he participated in the development of the Millennium Development Goals. These eight goals, to be achieved by participating countries by 2015, include the eradication of absolute poverty and hunger, reduction of child mortality, combating epidemics, providing universal primary education, and achieving environmental stability, among others.

Since 2010, Sachs has also been a member of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, an international initiative established by UNESCO and the International Telecommunication Union that utilizes broadband technologies as a key factor in socio-economic development. Additionally, he is a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS, a research center of the Spanish Socialist Party.

Sachs is the author of numerous books, including "The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time" (2005) and "Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet" (2008), both of which became bestsellers according to The New York Times. His latest book, "The Price of Civilization," was published on October 4, 2011.

Jeffrey Sachs was born on November 5, 1954, in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Oak Park, a suburb of Detroit. He graduated from a local school and went on to earn his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University, graduating with honors. After completing his studies, Sachs joined the Harvard Society of Fellows, a group of scholars whose academic and research careers begin at Harvard.

In 1980, Sachs became a member of the faculty at Harvard University as an assistant professor and rose to the position of adjunct professor in 1982. At the age of 29, just a year later, he became a full professor of economics, setting a unique record.

He spent the next 19 years at Harvard, holding the position of professor of international trade. From 1995 to 1999, he served as the director of the Harvard Institute for International Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. From 1999 to 2002, he was the director of the Center for International Development. However, due to insufficient funding and limited participation of leading scholars in research, Sachs left Harvard University in March 2002 and assumed the position of director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York City.

Sachs currently resides in New York City with his wife, Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, a pediatrician by profession. They have three children, two daughters, and a son.