Friday, March 13, 2009

[EQ] Swimming Against the Tide: How Developing Countries are Coping with the Global Crisis

SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE:
HOW DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ARE COPING WITH THE GLOBAL CRISIS


Background Paper prepared by World Bank Staff for the G20 Finance Ministers and Central

Bank Governors Meeting, Horsham, United Kingdom on March 13-14, 2009

 

Available online PDF [21p.] at:
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/NEWS/Resources/swimmingagainstthetide-march2009.pdf

 

 

“…..Impact on the Poor and Most Vulnerable- What does this mean for the poor? The economic crisis is projected to increase poverty by around 46 million people in 2009. The principal transmission channels will be via employment and wage effects as well as declining remittance flows. While labor markets in the developing world will take a while to experience the full effects of the on-going global contraction, there is already clear evidence of the fall-out.

 

The latest estimates from the Ministry of Labor in China show 20 million people out of work. So far, the most affected sectors appear to be those that had been the most dynamic, typically urban-based exporters, construction, mining and manufacturing. The garment industry has laid off 30,000 workers in Cambodia (10% of workforce) where it represents the only significant export industry. In India, over 500,000 jobs have been lost over the last 3 months of 2008 in export-oriented sectors—i.e., gems and jewelry, autos, and textiles. ILO forecasts suggest that global job losses could hit 51 million, and up to 30 million workers could become unemployed.


“….Workers are increasingly shifting out of dynamic export-oriented sectors
into lower productivity activities (and moving from urban back into rural areas). These trends are likely to jeopardize recent progress in growth and poverty reduction resulting from labor shifting to higher return activities.


Declining remittances and migration opportunities are also undermining poverty gains and depressing wages.


Falling real wages and employment impede households’ ability to provide adequate food and necessities to their members


“….Experience from past crises suggests the potential for a slowdown in progress towards the MDGs
(Figure 7). Even prior to the crisis, most human development MDGs—especially for child and maternal mortality but also primary school completion, nutrition, and sanitation—were unlikely to be met…..’

 

“…..Protecting the Vulnerable. Inevitably, the crisis will impact social and human development objectives. Declining growth rates combined with high levels of initial poverty leave many households in developing countries highly exposed to the crisis. The Bank estimates that of 116 developing countries, 94 have experienced decelerating growth, of which 43 experience high levels of poverty. This implies new spending needs and may warrant a re-prioritization of existing public spending….”

 

World Bank: Financial Crisis website: http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/financialcrisis/

 

Policy Note: Vulnerable Countries Brief

The Global Economic Crisis:

Assessing Vulnerability with a Poverty Lens

This policy note was prepared by Louise Cord, Marijn Verhoeven, Camilla Blomquist and Bob Rijkers   

 

‘…..Almost all developed and developing countries are suffering from the global economic crisis. While developed countries are experiencing some of the sharpest contractions, households in developing countries are much more vulnerable and likely to experience acute negative consequences in the short- and long-term. Declining growth rates combined with high levels of initial poverty leave many households in developing countries highly exposed to the crisis. Vulnerability is heightened if, at the same time, governments are constrained in cushioning the impacts due limited institutional capacity and fiscal resources….”

PDF: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/NEWS/Resources/WBGVulnerableCountriesBrief.pdf

 

 

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
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[EQ] World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision - Official United Nations estimations and projections

World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision

 

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Population Division, March 2009

 

The official United Nations estimations and projections of population for all countries of the world, covering the period 1950-2050.

 

Press release: http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/pressrelease.pdf


Data Online : http://esa.un.org/unpp/index.asp


Selected Tables:
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/wpp2008_text_tables.pdf

 

The results of the 2008 Revision incorporate the findings of the most recent national population censuses and of numerous specialized population surveys carried out around the world. The 2008 Revision provides the demographic data and indicators to assess trends at the global, regional and national levels and to calculate many other key indicators commonly used by the United Nations system.

 

WORLD POPULATION TO EXCEED 9 BILLION BY 2050:

 

Developing Countries to Add 2.3 Billion Inhabitants with 1.1 Billion Aged Over 60 and 1.2 Billion of Working Age

 

NEW YORK, 11 March (UN Population Division/DESA)World population is projected to reach 7 billion early in 2012, up from the current 6.8 billion, and surpass 9 billion people by 2050, reveals the 2008 Revision of the official United Nations population estimates and projections
.

Most of the additional 2.3 billion people will enlarge the population of developing countries, which is projected to rise from 5.6 billion in 2009 to 7.9 billion in 2050, and will be distributed among the population aged 15-59 (1.2 billion) and 60 or over (1.1 billion) because the number of children under age 15 in developing countries will decrease.

In contrast, the population of the more developed regions is expected to change minimally, passing from 1.23 billion to 1.28 billion, and would have declined to 1.15 billion were it not for the projected net migration from developing to developed countries, which is projected to average 2.4 million persons annually from 2009 to 2050.

The results of the 2008 Revision incorporate the findings of the most recent national population censuses and of numerous specialized population surveys carried out around the world. The 2008 Revision provides the demographic data and indicators to assess trends at the global, regional and national levels and to calculate many other key indicators commonly used by the United Nations system.

 

International Migration Report 2006: A Global Assessment

World Mortality 2007 (Wall Chart)

Contribution of population policy to the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals
    Panel discussion, New York, 15 December 2008

 

 

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] Health and Development: Toward a Matrix Approach

Health and Development: Toward a Matrix Approach

 

Anna Gatti and Andrea Boggio (editors)

 

“……There is growing awareness of the crucial relationship between health and development. But while the importance of this relationship may be obvious, scholars are still debating about the nature of it, and different assumptions on this crucial relationship have an impact on the developmental agenda of international organizations and their modus operandi at country level.

 

Is good health a consequence or a pre-requisite of country development? How does the long term impact of different diseases affect economic development? Health and Development will address these and other questions, bringing the reader to a closer understanding of the role of international organizations in the health arena….”

 

 

Table of Contents

Preface; L. Brilliant and H. Rosling

Introduction: Toward a Matrix Approach; A. Gatti and A. Boggio

 

PART I: THE GLOBAL HEALTH ARENA


Global Health: Getting it Right

Laurie Garrett and Kammerle Schneider

 

The first chapter (plus table of contents and index) is available free online as PDF [20p.] at:
 http://www.palgrave.com/PDFs/1403947376.Pdf
.

 

“……Over the last decade, humanitarian attention to the health of the world’s poor, security concerns over the spread of pandemic diseases, and the recognition that health is a key determinant of economic growth, labor force productivity, and poverty reduction have propelled global health to the forefront of the international development agenda. Correspondingly, since the start of the twenty-first century we have seen the global health landscape transformed by a sixfold increase in foreign aid and private spending (United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon 2007).1 There has been a massive increase in the number of nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, and private actors vying to implement programs with this windfall. This is a fantastic moment for global health; but without mechanisms to harmonize efforts, track the commitments made and the dollars spent, and evaluate the impacts on local communities – this boon could simply add to the chaos, even undermining basic health achievements.

 

From the World Economic Forum in Davos to the TED conference in Monterey, from U2 rock concerts in London to the annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York – the surge is on. Money is showering down on health programs like never before. But with investment comes expectations. In the past, too many UN targets or G8 commitments have fallen short, deeply disappointing people in need. At the level of developing countries, where these activities are targeted, hundreds of foreign entities, both large and small, are competing for the attention of local governments, civil society interest, and the desperately short supply of trained healthcare workers. Ministers of Health say that their days are overwhelmed by long lines of NGOs and bilateral program contractors, each demanding their attention. And all too often, these entities have come to impose their programs on the country – not to genuinely work with the country to meet its needs….”

 

The World Health Organization and its Role in Health and Development; R. Koskenmaki, E. Granziera and G. L. Burci

Beyond the Matrix: Thinking Three-dimensionally About Social Determinants of Health; T. Schrecker and R. Labonté

Research and Innovation in Health and Development; S. A. Matlin

 

 

PART II: HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT: PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES

Health and Evolution; F. C. Sforza

Health and Development: An Economic Perspective; D. Evans

Health, Development, and Human Rights; S. Marks

Health and Development: An Ethics Perspective; A. Boggio

 

PART III: GLOBAL HEALTH AND VULNERABILITY

Health and Development: The Role of International Organizations in Population Ageing; C. Phillipson, C. Estes and E. Portacolone

Child Health and Development; L. Richter and C. Desmond

Women Health and Development; L. Manderson

 

PART IV: THE INTERRELATION BETWEEN SPECIFIC DISEASE AND DEVELOPMENT

Long Term Impacts of Leading Chronic Diseases in Low and Middle Income Countries: A Comparative Analysis; D. Stuckler and D. Yach

Strategies for Financing Universal Access to Health Care and Prevention: Lessons Learned and Perspective for the 21st Century; S.

Spinaci and V. Crowel

HIV Epidemic and Response: Social, Economic and Development Impact; K.A. Kutch, D. Yu and Y. Souteyrand

Global TB Control: Persisting Problems, Shifting Solutions; M. W. Uplekar and M. C. Raviglione

 

Websites:

http://www.amazon.com/Health-Development-Role-International-Organizations/dp/1403947376

http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=270477

 

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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