Health care demand price elasticies are often estimated from samples conditioned to include only sike people. This paper shows that not only may such estimates be statistically biased, but even when properly estimated they can only be interpreted as short-run price responses.

Human exposure to lead represents a serious environmental health problem in many urban areas. Based on a review of health and technical issues, th is report points out that the phase-out of lead from gasoline is a desirable policy measure which can yield significant social benefits. Country...

Outlines Tunisia' innovative strategy of reducing the budgetary costs of food subsidies in a manner that is politically acceptable and that protects the nutritional status of the poor. The government uses "self-targeted programs," whereby subsidies are shifted to items consumed primarily by...

This paper surveys health reform in the former Soviet countries of Central Asia. Reform efforts are evaluated in the context of achieving the goals of improving people's health status, maintaining acces and equity, improving efficiency, increasing clinical effectiveness, and assuring quality and...

This paper evaluates World Bank activities to prevent and mitigate the effects of AIDS in all regions of the developing world during fiscal years 1986 to 1996. It first proritizes HIV-prevention and treatment interventions using the principles of public economies. Based on this framework, it...

The health of Russian women has suffered during the economic crisis of recent years. Morbidity and mortality from chronic and infectious diseases has increased. Women's reproductive health has been compromised by an increase in the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and by lack of access...

The Palestinian health system suffers from chronic challenges related to protracted conflict and limited health system inputs, coupled with a high burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD). Over 75 percent of the disease burden is attributable to NCD, particularly cancers, diabetes,...

This paper presents a rapid private health sector assessment for Karnataka. Karnataka is a middle-tier Indian state with most state-wide health indicators mirroring those for the nation as a whole. In addition to these health statistics, more than half of Karnataka's children suffer from...

There is little current information available on private health facilities in Bihar. Government has little to do with the private sector and no recent attempts have been made to survey the private formal or informal sectors. However, we know that the private sector is the dominant force in...