We are, it seems. As you may have noticed the author of The End of Poverty, Director of the Earth Institute and all-round celebrity economist recently served as the BBCs’ 2007 Reith lecturer. These annual lectures are the jewel in the crown of the beeb’s public-service current affairs broadcasting, so it’s quite a big deal. Better still, each lecture is followed by questions and answers, meaning you get to hear Sachs responding to some of the criticisms commonly put forward about his ideas.

They’re all worth listening to, but lecture 4 is the one focused on Africa and on poverty. It’s a useful summary of his view (as if our journey through his book isn’t enough), but more importantly it’s a chance to hear him respond to criticisms such as the charge that much aid is often wasted. We’ll be looking at criticisms of Sachs in detail once we’ve finished going through the book, but if you want an intro, start here.

Sachs in Vanity FairThe Americans, too, have been getting their Sachs dose, thanks to his pal Bono, who recently guest-edited an issue of the glossy mag for rich people who think they’re important, Vanity Fair. The issue is intended to broaden the view of Africa in the US and UK away from unremitting misery, but doesn’t ignore issues of AIDS and poverty: there’s a good-news story about AIDS treatment; a useful interactive map; and, yes, a story on Sachs. To be honest, it won’t tell you a thing you don’t already know about Sachs’ ideas, if you’ve been paying attention. But it gives some good detail about the Millennium Villages, where Sachs is trying his plans out on the ground (more on which soon). It also gives a good sense of Sachs the person - I’m beginning to suspect that he isn’t, actually, particularly nice. Have a read, listen to the lecture, draw your own conclusions, and tell us your thoughts below.