(2004-05-28) Copenhagen Consensus Live

I just realized the Copenhagen Consensus meeting is taking place this week.

Update: there were 30 proposals, of which only 17 were ranked (for a variety of reasons). The rankings (best-to-worst ROI) are:

0. Control of HIV/AIDS - About 28 million cases could be prevented by 2010. The cost would be $27 billion, with benefits almost forty times as high.

1. Malnutrition: Providing micro (e.g. iron) nutrients (HealthCare)

2. Subsidies and Trade: Trade liberalisation (Free Trade)

3. Diseases: Control of Malaria (DDT)

4. Malnutrition: Development of new agricultural technologies (Agriculture)

5. Sanitation & Water: Small-scale Clean Water technology for livelihoods

6. Sanitation & Water: Community-managed water supply and sanitation

7. Sanitation & Water: Research on water productivity in food production

8. Government: Lowering the cost of starting a new business (SmallCo)

9. Migration: Lowering barriers to migration for skilled workers (Immigration)

10. Malnutrition: Improving infant and child nutrition

11. Malnutrition: Reducing the prevalence of low birth weight

12. Diseases: Scaled-up basic health services

13. Migration: Guest worker programmes for the unskilled

14. Climate: Optimal Carbon Tax

15. Climate: The Kyoto Protocol (Global Warming)

16. Climate: Value-at-risk Carbon Tax