This Selected Issues paper on the Slovak Republic reviews efficiency and reform of the health sector. The immediate challenge for the health care system in the Slovak Republic is to improve health sector outcomes while containing public health spending. The Slovak health care system is...

The paper presents the Annual Progress report on The Gambia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. This has enabled the government to substantially reduce the stock of domestic arrears that have been due to contractors, consultants, and suppliers and at the same time liquidate all loans owed...

Rwanda’s Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) covers the period 2008–12 and provides a medium-term framework for achieving the country’s long-term development aspirations as embodied in Rwanda Vision 2020, the seven-year Government of Rwanda (GoR)...

This paper discusses implementation of the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) in Zambia. The planning process of the FNDP integrated views from the Provincial and District Development Plans approved by the respective provincial and district level organs. The FNDP’s goals are...

The health of the population in Guinea is also one of the determinants of poverty, owing to its impact on the ability of the population to work with vigor. There are large disparities depending on the urban/rural residence and administrative region. In terms of the poverty level of households,...

Despite the continued vulnerability of the economy to exogenous shocks, the inadequacy of infrastructure, and the weakness of existing institutional capacity, there has been considerable progress in actions and reforms initiated by the government within the framework of the poverty reduction...

This paper discusses key findings of the annual progress report on implementing the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS)—Nigeria’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The progress report highlights key accomplishments and shortcomings as well as outstanding...

Government spending on health has grown as a percent of GDP over the last 40 years in industrialized countries. Widespread decentralization of healthcare systems has often accompanied this increase in spending. In this paper, we explore the effect of soft budget constraints on subnational health...

The development policy of Cape Verde has evolved in a setting of severe structural constraints and persistent restrictions, with potential impediments to growth. The ongoing process of change adopts a transformation strategy closely linked to the consolidation of a democracy based on sound...

This annual progress report reviews Burkina Faso’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). The regional integration dynamics was considered as an action variable that allowed Burkina Faso to better insert itself into the global economy. The major quantitative objectives of the revised...