Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes

664 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9388

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 14

Pakistan Health Financing System Assessment: Providing an Empirical Foundation for National and Sub-National Health Financing Strategy Dialogues - Policy Brief
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-13) World Bank
Accelerated progress towards and achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) has become a central goal of the Government of Pakistan’s (GoP) policy agenda in health in recent years. Both at the center and in the provinces, Pakistan’s domestic governments have now consistently reiterated, through the National Health Vision 2016–2025 and other essential agenda setting documents, their joint commitments to making UHC and primary care access a priority across the country. The federal and provincial governments have initiated critical UHC and primary health care (PHC) related interventions. First, Pakistan has become an early adopter of the Disease Control Priority 3 (DCP3) framework and, in collaboration with the DCP3 Secretariat and the World Health Organization (WHO), has begun implementing for the first time a prioritized Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS). Another major program led by the federal government and now adopted by the provincial governments is the social health protection initiative, the Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP). The program, a tax-financed scheme, provides cash-free coverage to inpatient hospital services at empaneled public and private hospitals for eligible low-income populations (households earning less than US2 dollar per day). The EPHS and the public health insurance scheme are two promising developments that together hold the potential to expand health coverage, grow existing health finance resource pools, and improve efficiency of public health expenditures. Each would in turn help achieve broader objectives in a health financing system that has to date produced concerningly lagging health and human development outcomes. However, faced with resource needs significantly higher than current health expenditures, and a particularly turbulent near-term macro-fiscal environment, the GoP’s ability to sustainably fund crucial UHC priorities has become decidedly uncertain.
Thailand Monthly Economic Monitor, 30 July 2024
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-31) World Bank
Recent indicators of economic activity point to a gradual recovery, supported by improvement in manufacturing production, goods exports, and tourism. The number of tourist arrivals expanded, nearing pre-pandemic levels. However, private consumption moderated. Growth is projected to accelerate from 1.9 percent in 2023 to 2.4 percent in 2024. The Bank of Thailand has maintained a neutral policy rate and anticipates inflation to return to its target by Q4 2024. The banking sector remained stable with adequate buffers, though vulnerabilities in household debt and small and medium enterprise (SME) non-performing loans (NPLs) persist. The government has approved a flagship Digital Wallet program, expected to boost gross domestic product (GDP) in the short term and rolled out a soft loan program to support SMEs. The Thai baht depreciated due to delays in the Fed’s easing cycle and ongoing concerns about the Thai economy.
Missing School - The Effect of Crises on Students and Teachers in Pakistan
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-03) Isa, Sana; D'Angelo, Sophia; Barón, Juan D.
Pakistani children have faced nationwide and severe disruptions to their schooling over the past several years, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then the 2022 floods. Given the country’s vulnerability to climate change, these disruptions are likely to increase. This note explores the government’s response to COVID-19 and school closures in Pakistan; it shows how data disaggregated by gender, household location, and other variables can inform a more effective and inclusive education response and build the education system’s resilience to future emergencies.
Nepal Crisis Preparedness Gap Analysis: Policy Brief
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-13) World Bank
Crisis preparedness is cral to preventing shocks from becoming crises. Investments in ex ante preparedness are especially relevant in countries like Nepal that face high levels of exposure and vulnerability to a range of risks. In seeking to identify opportunities to strengthen the Government of Nepal’s (GoN’s) capacity to prepare for crisis events in an effective and timely manner, this Technical Annex presents findings from the application of the Crisis Preparedness Gap Analysis (CPGA) diagnostic in the country. It provides details on findings and entry points across the five componnts of crisis preparedness. For a summary, please refer to the accompanying CPGA Nepal Briefing Note. Following a brief description of the CPGA methodology, the Technical Annex presents a summary of findings from each CPGA component alongside identification of entry points and opportunities to strengthen crisis preparedness in the country. To provide a holistic assessment of preparedness, the CPGA focuses on five core components of crisis preparedness. These are (i) Legal and Institutional Foundations, (ii) Understanding and Monitoring Risks, (iii) Financial Preparedness, (iv) Primary Response, and (v) Social and Livelihood Support.
Thailand Monthly Economic Monitor, February 2024
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-11) World Bank
Thailand's economic recovery lagged further behind ASEAN peers as growth was a disappointing 1.7 percent in the fourth quarter and resulted in slower annual growth of 1.9 percent in 2023. Growth was hampered by weak external sector and delayed budget approval. In December, economic activity softened due to weak manufacturing, investment, and goods export. Inflation remained negative for the third consecutive month due to falling energy and food prices as well as energy subsidies. In this context, the Bank of Thailand held its policy rate. The fiscal deficit decreased due to the delayed budget approval. In January, the Thai baht remained stable against major trading partners, despite significant net foreign portfolio outflows.
Understanding Socioeconomic Factors in Climate Change Awareness and Action
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-12-05) Asad, Saher; Dahlin, Lauren N.; Barón, Juan D.
Climate change has profoundly affected Pakistan, manifesting in altered weather patterns and devastating floods. According to projections, Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to decrease by a minimum of 18 to 20 percent by 2050 due to severe climate-related occurrences, environmental deterioration, and air contamination. This policy note presents findings from a phone survey that explores the socio-economic factors influencing the level of concern and likelihood of action regarding climate change.
GeneXpert Machines in Vietnam: Applying an Optimization Model to Improve Use of Diagnostic Equipment to Fight Infectious Diseases
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-08-23) Bathanti, Jacob; Salazar, Elizabeth
Many governments struggle with how to efficiently, effectively, and equitably allocate medical supplies and equipment. Medical supplies and equipment can be expensive and prone to mismatches in use, context, and the level of expertise needed to operate them. Optimizing allocation is particularly important considering resource scarcity in many developing countries. Therefore, generating evidence to inform efficient, effective, and equitable allocation of medical supplies and equipment to maximize the benefits of scarce and often in-demand resources is crucial for improving medical care around the world. This case study examines how the World Bank financed Investing and Innovating for Grassroots Health Service Delivery project used optimization analysis to determine the best allocation of TB diagnosis machines. Identifying and combining relevant datasets and applying these within a well-defined algorithm, with the agreement of key stakeholders, enabled the national and provincial governments of Vietnam to determine where machines could be placed for maximum impact to enable and promote efficient use of expensive medical equipment.
Thailand Monthly Economic Monitor, July 2023
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-07-24) World Bank
The economy maintained moderate expansion, driven by private consumption and tourism. Declining inflation alleviated pressure on living costs and supported private consumption. However, goods exports as well as manufacturing production and investment contracted due to weak external demand. Public debt remained stable;a decrease in budget deficit financing was offset by increased borrowing to support the State Oil Fund. In June, the Thai baht depreciated compared to major ASEAN currencies, primarily due to an all-year high current account deficit.
Typology of Economic Women’s Groups Programs in South Asia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-04-13) de Hoop, Thomas; Holla, Chinmaya; Das, Aikantika; Desai, Sapna
Women’s groups models vary widely across contexts but context-specific documentation is limited. This wide variation coupled with inconsistent terms used to describe these groups creates challenges in using the evidence collected on group-based interventions to inform policy. The typology presented in this brief focuses on economic women’s group models implemented in South Asia. Using program documents and evidence from evaluations, it identifies implementation models, key characteristics, and the implications of investing in women’s groups to improve economic outcomes in South Asia.
What do We Know About Interventions to Increase Women’s Economic Participation and Empowerment in South Asia?: Financial Products
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-04-07) Javed, Amna; Zahra, Najaf; Boudet, Ana Maria Munoz
The World Bank’s South Asia Region Gender Innovation Lab (SARGIL) is conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions with direct or indirect effects on measures of women’s economic empowerment. The review focuses on changes in labor market outcomes, income, and other empowerment indicators. The goal is to document what has and has not worked for women in the region (covering all countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), understand the types of interventions implemented, and identify gaps in knowledge and action. Interventions are organized into five categories: Skills, Assets, Financial Products, Care, and Empowerment. This brief summarizes the main findings from the financial products category.