yesterday's edition of The Guardian comes a interview with Jeffrey Sachs that not wasted. It is entitled "Be here now" in a pun on the title of Oasis disk and the timeliness of being in China today - the interview was conducted in Beijing - when the country is putting upside down the world economy. The subtitle says much about the content of the interview:
"Known for being the favorite economist of the rock aristocracy, Professor Jeffrey Sachs sees China as a model in the fight against global poverty."
Sachs is one of the most influential on the international scene, is director of the Institute World Studies of Columbia University (New York, USA. UU.) Professor of sustainable development and health policy and management at the university, and is also Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations , Kofi Annan . Lately he has written several best-sellers in economics, sociology, and the work that motivates the interview "The End of Poverty. How to get in our time ".
The reason to bring Sachs here is the association of ideas made in addressing the issues most important global agenda. Sachs included in his vision as central issues in qualitative research as the meanings and symbolism. In their analysis includes elements important to pop culture and representatives of fame, actors, singers or writers. "There is a kind of expert," he says trying to denigrate the world of movie stars and rock singers: they are completely wrong. " Although this view is not novel (at least in the context of Spain), since he had already highlighted Vicente Verdú in "The style of the world" and, more recently, in "Me and you, luxury items. The people, the first cultural revolution of the century ", making Sachs is giving an identity and straining on the bedside tables of world leaders. Say
authors such as Sachs and Verdú have a glimpse of the world that, apparently, is the most important today because it determines the course of events. The association is simple: the characters that are part of the lives of people, people with breakfast, watching TV and sports, the same that shape their modes of dress and interact, are also in a position to influence their political behavior ethyl and citizens. What is new is that researchers and Sachs are willing to take that approach to how to intervene in public affairs from the academy.
Let's see how does this practice of symbolic interpretation of reality [Note: Although this analysis is close to the symbolic interactionism, I must say that my position sociological issues are not fully defined and is in an intermediate point between this approach, theories of conflict ( Kerber, 2003 ) and post-structuralism of Foucault], making an interpretation of the contents of some words of Bono and further annotation of Sachs. At a recent conference, Bono described how he, Sachs and producer Bobby Shriver crossed the planet "as a family of partridges under the influence of psychotropic drugs." What does that mean, what is your interpretation symbolic (qualitative). Sachs says: "I think he had in mind the dazzling things you see. It's very surreal. In a moment you can be in a remote village in the most impoverished in the world. Then, eight hours can be in the splendor of Fifth Avenue, or in a fascinating district of London, or in the halls of Congress. Remains the same planet. It's amazing that these differences exist, and are only a few hours apart. "
In fact, when Bono is talking about drugs in the state of the world. Especially, when speaking of psychotropic drugs refers to a state of hallucination resulting from stimuli coming of the media and the Web also, of course, talking about the possibilities of "travel" and move in space and time allow hallucinogens. This is how he is besieged after touring the poses and feel first hand the inequities that drive people to die of starvation or obesity as points north or south on the road map. That is why psychotropic drugs instead of marijuana in this context is not accidental. He knows that, knows the lingo and delivers your message in a conscious way. It also makes using the same language people can understand because it connects with the culture, the same culture that keep them dazzled on the day to day. Bono works as a connecting node with a global network of people able to play that kind of symbolic language. That's a loaded symbolic meanings, therefore, can move consciences.
When Sachs pays attention to what he says Bono, or the aesthetic sense of the Madonna videos, or the public acts of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (all his friends and fans, so to speak, their theories), which actually does is look at the real world through a peephole. You are looking at the same place you watch the rest of us, as did the characters in Plato's cave . What you are seeing is not representative society, even in Western societies, because the complexity of these escapes to an analysis of this type (and any kind, really). But that's the kind of look that can detect the essence of a few important significance to society. Is using a qualitative methodology with which to understand reality, from that point, try to transform it.
For issues of Applied Economics, throughout the interview in The Guardian, Sachs gives a hint of the use of that vision in their daily work.
emmm ... the interpretation of what led to Bono to choose the partridges for metaphor is for another time. We
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