This paper examines health provider payment reforms in China the present system and how it evolved, and changes that will improve it in the context of ongoing health reform. The paper begins with a brief introduction and background discussion followed by two substantive sections experiments with...

Compared with developed economies, health expenditure in China is not particularly high on a per capita basis or as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Similarly, pharmaceutical expenditure in comparative perspective is not particularly high on a per capita basis or as a percentage of GDP....

Since the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, health care in China has become a leading national concern. Often highlighted by the popular phrase, kan-bing-nan, kan-bing-gui (seeking care is difficult and expensive), healthcare costs can be devastating. Prior to 2007, there...

In recent years, Chinese health care has improved rapidly, especially in the areas of equity and accessibility of services, as well as the movement toward universal coverage. A new round of health care reform, which was announced in April 2009, began implementation in 2010, with reform pilots in...

Montenegro Policy Note on Broadband: Achieving Universality of High-Speed Broadband: Review and Application Experience of the EU State Aid Framework aims to provide advice to the Government of Montenegro on the possible mechanisms for state aid support for broadband infrastructure, while taking...

The Ministry of Justice of the Government of Timor-Leste (GoTL) has requested assistance from the World Bank Justice for the poor program to develop policy options for the implementation of chapter five of the draft land law. The present paper has been developed in response to this request. It...

This book addresses the achievements, challenges, and opportunities to improve the quality of public spending. Steps to make such changes have come through monitoring and evaluation approaches that can be replicated or expanded; sectoral efforts to improve the performance of priority programs;...

To achieve gender equality and empower women, it is essential to invest in human development. The World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development (hereafter WDR 2012) brings the best global evidence to bear on the relationship between gender equality and development. A central...

Urbanization and climate change will define much of the 21st century. Urbanization leads to improvement in standards of living, and through the increased density and service delivery efficiency of cities, higher growth can be achieved with lower greenhouse gas emissions. Cities and urban...

Strong earthquakes strike frequently countries in East Asia and the Pacific, causing building collapses and extensive damage to infrastructure and, when centered near populated areas, heavy life losses. Urban areas, with their increasing concentrations of population and infrastructure, are...