Over the past three decades, China has made commendable strides in improving the health status of its population. Between 1965 and 1995, its infant mortality rate declined from 90 per 1,000 live births to 36. During the same period, life expectancy at birth rose from 55 to 69 years and the...

The authors examine how domestic violence may be used as a bargaining instrument, to extract larger dowries from a spouse's family. The phrase"dowry violence"refers not to the paid at the time of the wedding, but to additional payments demanded by the groom's family after the marriage. The...

This paper reviews Bangladesh’s Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP). The paper addresses the question as to “what are the broad lessons from the past development experience.†It captures the salient features of social progress notwithstanding the challenging odds...

This paper discusses implementation of the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) in Zambia. The planning process of the FNDP integrated views from the Provincial and District Development Plans approved by the respective provincial and district level organs. The FNDP’s goals are...

Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world. Poverty remains high at 43 percent of the population subsist on less than United States (U.S.) $1.25 per day (2010). Bangladesh achieved several millennium development goal (MDG) targets in education, health, and poverty...

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper discusses socioeconomic development in the Republic of Tajikistan. Although poverty reduction in rural areas is proceeding at a faster pace than in urban areas, poverty continues to be a predominantly rural phenomenon. In addition to improving the gender...

This Annual Progress Report reviews the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and Economic and Social Plan for 2007 for Mozambique. The report presents the new simplified structure adopted in the Review of the First Half of 2007. In the international context, the evolution of the international...

Ghana’s current socio-economic development agenda is to attain middle-income status. The emphasis is on changing the structure of the economy by developing the private sector, diversifying the export base, and increasing agricultural productivity and rural incomes. The importance is on...

This paper describes the Kingdom of Lesotho’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2012/13–2016/17. NSDP recognizes, as a point of departure, the need and urgency for Lesotho to radically transform its economy. To achieve the National...