Post-2015 Development Goals

In 2015, the UN's Millennium Development Goals are expiring and the international community will set new goals. This is a hugely important exercise, so I'm drawn to the discussions as part of the Copenhagen Consensus - "Effective investments for today’s children are fundamental for a better and more equitable world in the future. The Copenhagen Consensus Centre brings a simple but compelling logic to this endeavor: if we want to make sure that this world is realized for our children, let’s focus on the investments that will generate the most good”.- Richard Morgan, UNICEF Senior Advisor on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

The name behind the process (and lots of angry online comments) is Bjorn Lomborg. He seems to generate a 'love him or hate him' response. You can go to his site, or look at some of the links I've put together here.

Lomborg's philosophical approach is profoundly utilitarian. In essence, that means doing the greatest good for the greatest number. In the case of helping the poor, that means working out what policies to support the poor might cost, and compare that to how much good they might do. That is what you probably understand by cost/benefit analysis.

Lomborg's critics reject this philosophy. They dislike the tendency of economists to try to put a monetary value on environmental or social problems. Or they have a particular issue they feel so strongly about they are not interested in comparing that problem with others. Lomborg responds by arguing that we should be guided by a principle of doing good, not feeling good.

Here he is in the Telegraph with his guide to seven value-for-money ways to save the world.