Person:
Hou, Xiaohui
Author Name Variants
Fields of Specialization
health economics; social safety nets; poverty
Degrees
ORCID
Departments
Health, Nutrition and Population, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank
Externally Hosted Work
Contact Information
Last updated
January 31, 2023
Biography
Hou, Xiaohui is a Senior Economist in the World Bank. Joined as a Young Professional, she has since worked in Human Development department and Poverty Reduction and Economic Management department across the East Europe and Central Asia region, the South Asia region, and most recently the East Asia and Pacific region. She also spent a number of years in the World Bank Institute, the capacity building arm of the World Bank, focusing on face to face training and network development. Her fields include health economics, social safety net, labor economics and impact evaluation. She has published a dozen of papers in both economics and medical peer reviewed journals. She also teaches as a visiting scholar. A Peking University graduate, she obtained her Ph.D. in the Health Services and Policy Analysis and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Health Policy and Administration from the Washington State University.
Publication Search Results
1 - 4 of 4
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Publication
An Evaluation of the Initial Impact of the Medical Assistance Program for the Poor in Georgia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-04)As part of the recent health reform effort, the government of Georgia launched a Medical Assistance Program in June 2006 to provide health insurance to its poor population. So far the program covers slightly over 50 percent of the poor and provides benefit coverage for outpatient and inpatient care. This paper estimates initial impact of the Medical Assistance Program and assesses whether the benefits have reached the poorest among those eligible, using utilization data from June 2006 to December 2006. Based on the analysis using a regression discontinuity design and a three-part model, the paper presents two main findings. First, the Medical Assistance Program has significantly increased utilization of acute surgeries/inpatient services by the poor. Second, the benefits have successfully reached the poorest among the poor. These two findings indicate that government efforts to improve the poor's access to and utilization of health services are yielding results. The paper emphasizes that the initial dramatic increase in surgeries must be interpreted with caution, given the possible misclassification or misreporting of acute surgeries in the data. The paper also stresses the need to continue monitoring implementation of the Medical Assistance Program and further improve program design, particularly the targeting mechanism, to achieve better efficiency, effectiveness and overall equity in access to health care services. -
Publication
Challenges for Youth Employment in Pakistan : Are They Youth-Specific?
( 2011-01-01)This paper analyzes the patterns of and the challenges for youth employment in Pakistan and examines whether these challenges are youth-specific. Using the 2005/2006 Labor Force Survey, the analysis includes determinants of unemployment, determinants of working in the formal sector, rate of return on education, and determinants of working hours. The paper finds that many of the challenges to youth employment in Pakistan are not youth-specific. Policies should thus emphasize broader labor market reforms, even in the context of tackling youth employment issues. Still, some challenges are youth-specific, such as a higher youth unemployment rate and insufficient returns to better-educated youth. To address these challenges, more youth-specific interventions are needed. -
Publication
A Snapshot of Health Equity in Papua New Guinea: An Analysis of the 2010 Household Income and Expenditure Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-06)This paper highlights challenges that the government of Papua New Guinea faces in delivering equitable health care. It analyses findings from the 2010 household survey, including sickness reporting, health service utilization and out of pocket expenditure, concluding that the poorest quintile is most vulnerable to illness, yet has the lowest utilization rates of healthcare facilities. The lack of healthcare workers and the distance to facilities are among the most dominant reasons cited for not utilizing healthcare facilities in the poorest quintile while out-of-pocket payments have minimal catastrophic impact, yet have still been found to be a barrier to utilization. The paper also sets out policy implications of these findings, including the need for the government to focus on, and prioritize, strengthening the health services delivery to achieve universal health coverage. -
Publication
A Snapshot of Health Equity in Papua New Guinea: An Analysis of the 2010 Household Income and Expenditure Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05)In Papua New Guinea the poorest quintile is most vulnerable to illness, yet has the lowest utilization rates of healthcare facilities. When looking at age groups the elderly ( 55) are the most vulnerable to illness and the least likely to seek treatment. The lack of healthcare workers and the distance to facilities are among the most dominant reasons cited for not utilizing heath care in the poorest quintile. The perceived quality of services is a barrier to health care utilization across all quintiles. Out-of-pocket (OOP) payments have minimal catastrophic impact, yet have been found to still be a barrier to utilization - especially amongst the poorest quintile. The government should focus on and prioritize strengthening the health services delivery to achieve universal health coverage.