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...

Outdoor air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths worldwide, the majority of which are caused by exposure to fine particulate matter (or PM2.5) air pollution. Most of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Reducing PM2.5 air pollution is thus crucial for...

Climate change has been called the most important threat to human health in the 21st century. It is estimated that if thetemperature rises and its impact on the other climatic variablescontinues unchanged, it will kill more than 83 million people (1 percent of the world's population) in the next...

While on-track for child health and maternal health MDGs, Lao PDR continues to have some of the worst maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes, both globally and in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. Under-five and infant mortality rates are high relative to GDP per capita, and utilization...