This Progress Report reviews implementation of Albania’s National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development (NSSED) during 2003. The report is primarily orientated toward the vitalization and harmonization of mid-term and long-term development objectives; the principle of further...

From 2001, Togo has been engaged in the process of preparing its poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP). As a result of the social and political crisis, Togo’s economy has been affected severely. To overcome this crisis, the government has been engaged in key reforms intended to restore...

The interconnections of family transformation, childrearing and fertility behaviour are explored. Data were generated through nine focus groups organized among the Ogu and content analyzed. The analysis reveals that although the family system is still largely dominated by extended structure, the...

Population growth, an unfinished agenda of communicable diseases and maternal health and nutrition, and the rapid rise of Non-communicable diseases are putting increasing strain on not just the Ministry of Health budget, but also the broader financial position of the government as a whole. These...

Samoa currently faces two important public policy challenges in the health sector. One is to stem, and then reverse, the rapid rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The second challenge is to put the country on a health-financing path that is effective, efficient, and financially affordable...

This review represents an attempt to bridge the significant knowledge gaps on the private health sector in Sri Lanka, and foster a dialogue on opportunities for collaboration between the government and the private sector. It accomplishes this through a systematic collection and analysis of...

Rwanda, led by its Ministry of Health, was the first African country to implement Performance- Based Financing (PBF) nationwide in its health centers and hospitals. The country then went on to pilot RBF interventions at the community level. Rewarding community members who provide and use...

The key actors in Bangladesh's Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Program (HPNSDP) are the public sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the non-profit private sector, and the for-profit private sector. The public health infrastructure is considered one of the largest in...

Afghanistan suffers from poverty and low human development aggravated by 23 years of conflict. In 2012, the population was 29 million and per capita income US $268. Economic growth was estimated at 3.6 percent in 2013, down from 14.4 percent in 2012. The transition led to investor and consumer...