Person:
Hou, Xiaohui

Health, Nutrition and Population, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank
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Fields of Specialization
health economics; social safety nets; poverty
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Health, Nutrition and Population, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank
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Last updated: June 4, 2024
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. 
Citations 44 Scopus

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Publication
    Improving Allocative Efficiency in Zimbabwe’s Health Sector: Results from the Health Interventions Prioritization Tool
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021) Hou, Xiaohui; Gosce, Lara; Shamu, Shepherd; Sisimayi, Chenjerai N.; Lannes, Laurence; Wilkinson, Thomas David; Kerr, Cliff; Haghparast-Bidgoli, Hassan; Skordis, Jolene; Kerr, Thomas Michael
    The country of Zimbabwe has seen some important improvements in key health outcomes since 2009. However, despite progress in some areas of the health sector, the country did not meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and current progress falls short of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) milestones. As is often the case, the poor and rural populations in Zimbabwe bear a disproportionate burden of disease and health risks. The situation is compounded by national economic challenges and health sector spending inefficiencies that have resulted in households bearing an increasing share of health sector financing, mainly through out-of-pocket expenditures. Households provide approximately 25 percent of health sector financing in Zimbabwe. Again, the poor and rural populations are hardest hit by this economic reality. Zimbabwe was one of the few countries in which HIPtool was piloted at the proof of concept stage. HIPtool enables the mathematical prioritization of interventions based on existing data and a set of criteria. It provides a technical foundation to further develop an essential health benefits package. However, HIPtool, at this stage in development, still has strong limitations, which are outlined along with results in this report.