[h2o-discuss] Sachs

[Eric Eldred <eldred@mediaone.net>]

Jeffrey Sachs, Harvard professor and director of the
Center for International Development, has written for
the Economist magazine (1999-08-14, p17) - or if you
have an Economist subscription, at:
http://www.economist.com/editorial/justforyou/current/index_sf9108.html
a challenging article, "Helping the world's poorest."

He places at the center of his analysis the profound
inequalities between the rich and the poor countries:
"the inequalities of income across the globe are
actually exceeded by the inequalities of scientific
output and technological innovation" that might help
resolve the inequalities, except that "global
science is directed by the rich countries and for
the rich-country markets."

Sachs does not feel these problems can be solved
by the free market alone, nor by following current
trends and institutions.  He sees this as a global
economic public goods problem, with new incentives
and institutions needed to reach "the avowed aim
of helping the poorest of the poor back on their
own feet to join the race for human betterment."

Two problems Sachs explores in detail:  public
health and the need for new vaccines, and food
production and the science of genetic manipulation
in agricultural biology.

In addition to more inclusive summits, the need
for the US to pay its UN debts, some new
institutions such as a vaccine fund, and a new
carbon tax on fossil fuels, Sachs urges new
action on intellectual property rights.  "Just
as knowledge is becoming the undisputed centrepiece
of global prosperity (and lack of it, the core of
human impoverishment), the global regime on
intellectual property rights requires a new look.
The United States prevailed upon the world to
toughen patent codes and cut down on intellectual
piracy.  But now transnational corporations and
rich-country institutions are patenting everything
from the human genome to rainforest diversity.
The poor will be ripped off unless some sense and
equity are introduced into this runaway process.

"Moreover, the system of intellectual property
rights must balance the need to provide incentives
for innovation against the need of poor countries
to get the result of innovation.  The current
struggle over AIDS medicines in South Africa [in
which SA threatens to produce patented drugs on
its own unless the drug companies sell them at
the production cost, not including development
expenses] is but an early warning shot in a much
larger struggle over access to the fruits of
human knowledge.  The issue of setting global
rules for the uses and development of new
technologies--especially the controversial
biotechnogies--will again require global
co-operation, not the strong-arming of the few
rich countries."  Earlier, Sachs states, "The
world needs to reconsider the question of
property rights before patent rights allow
rich-country multinationals in effect to own
the genetic codes of the very foodstuffs on
which the world depends, and even the human
genome itself."

As part of his analysis Sachs discusses one
idea of the rich countries guaranteeing a
minimum purchase price for a new vaccine, and
agree to purchase a sufficient quantity of the
vaccine if rich country companies can produce
it.  No money need be paid unless the vaccine
is developed, but the natural competition in
science would be encouraged, if companies
knew their teams would be rewarded for
winning.  Vaccines against malaria and AIDS
alone would have a huge effect on increasing
the economies of poor countries.



I'd like to see some discussion here arising from
Sachs's challenge.

1.  We in the Open community need to recognize
how important for the whole world is a better
approach to intellectual property.  The dispute
is not just about Linux vs. Microsoft--the
whole future of the world is in question.  Can
the example of the Free Software movement make
a difference here?

2.  We need to join forces with those in poor
countries who are trying to overcome these
inequalities in science.  A global, free
computer network would be a start.  But, as
Sachs points out, biotechnology is harder to
disperse.  Perhaps more attention needs to
be made to "appropriate technology" systems
for biotechnology.  Maybe some patents such
as on PCR or other basic techniques need to
be made available to poor countries, if they
currently do not have patent portfolios to
exchange.  To decide on answers, we need to
have representation in these discussions from
a number of biotechnology and agriculture
experts.

3.  We need to resist more strongly the trend
to make trade negotiations a place where the
rich countries can exert intellectual property
control over the poor countries.  The WTO
talks in Seattle might be a good place to
advance our ideas, and Sachs's.

4.  More attention needs to be paid to _who_
controls intellectual property, and to new
mechanisms to open markets in the face of
tendencies for intellectual property
monopolies and other inequalities, as for
example Sachs's idea about vaccine production.
I have no objection to protesting against an
enemy such as Monsanto, but in the end it
might be more fruitful to win that company
over to our side and gain its help in
solving our mutual problems.  The issue of
control might be examined in light of the
history of the atomic energy movement.

5.  More discussion such as Sachs's needs to
make clear that it is not a matter of us
against them, but a matter of solving problems
for the whole world population together.  The
public domain needs to be freshly re-evaluated.
There need to be audits of how our laws and
institutions are measuring up to our values.
If intellectual property rights theory lags
behind or is in danger of collapse, as I
think, then efforts have to be made now to
develop better theories and laws.

6.  We all need to join together with a
common action platform and persuade our great
moral and scientific authorities that we
all need to agree to making some changes.
The problem of knowledge in the world is
too big to leave up to a few Harvard
professors or computer hackers.


-- 
"Eric"    Eric Eldred      Eldritch Press
mailto:EricEldred@usa.net  http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/
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