Back in 2002, President Bush committed to spending $5 billion a year to help the world’s most impoverished nations. So far though, his administration’s contribution to this Millennium Challenge Account, is zero.
This year’s budget promises another 3 billion, but it is unlikely that money will be paid either. Critics say it is poor performance for a country that has a 12-trillion dollar economy.
It’s not that Americans don’t care to share. Millions dug into their own pockets following the Asian Tsunami. But the Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen wants people to think beyond the horror and the drama of a tidal wave, and to think about the steady stream of people dying from disease and starvation every day. Professor Sen joins us today to talk about the social and political factors that make people vulnerable. Finding freedom from want.
Guests:
Amartya Sen, Harvard University Professor and 1998
Nobel Laureate.