More people around the world are dying from noncommunicable diseases than ever before. These diseases, which include cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and heart disease, prematurely kill more than 15 million people between ages 30 and 69 each year. Many of these health conditions...

Performance pay for teachers generates debate. Proponents argue that many school systems have low levels of accountability and advocate incentivizing teachers by linking their pay to either their own efforts or their students’ learning. Critics, however, raise concerns that performance pay...

The World Bank’s Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund supported a randomized controlled trial from 2015-2018 to assess the extent to which subsidized microloans can enable households to build and use improved toilets. The loans, which carried zero interest, included toilet installation and were...

Safe drinking water is essential for healthy human development and survival, but millions of poor people in low-income countries only have access to contaminated drinking water. For children, the problem is particularly dangerous and deadly, with diarrheal diseases like typhoid and cholera...

Training vouchers and microfinance tools are often used by multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations, and governments to increase employment and business oppor¬tunities in low- and middle-income countries. An alternative is putting cash directly in the hands of the poor...

Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease spread through the air that can lead to death when left untreated. The disease killed some 1.6 million people in 2017, according to the World Health Organization, making it one of the top ten causes of death worldwide and one of the leading causes...

Access to safe sanitation prevents the spread of bacteria and viruses that cause illnesses such as diarrhea, a leading cause of child mortality and a contributor to stunting in children. Without access to a hygienic toilet, and the motivation to use one, people usually defecate in the open, and...

Children everywhere need enough nutritious food and stimulation to grow and develop to their full potential. Yet many disadvantaged children in low-income countries do not receive the support they need in the first years of life, negatively affecting their future health, education, and earnings....

Private schools that cater to low-income students are popular with parents seeking alternatives to government schools. But these private schools, which are often owned by local entrepreneurs, may lack the resources and incentives to expand enrollment or improve quality. They generally operate in...

In many low-income countries, improving service delivery can be challenging, whether it's making sure that teachers are in the classroom ready to teach or that cash transfers reach intended beneficiaries. One reason is that it's often difficult to cost-effectively monitor programs, especially...