Publication: The Global Family Planning Revolution : Three Decades of Population Policies and Programs
Loading...
Date
2007
ISSN
Published
2007
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
This volume helps fill the gap left from insufficiently archived details of family planning programs carried out in many developing countries from the 1950s through the 1980s of their operations, their commonalities, and their differences, with much useful information and informed analysis. The programs were complex undertakings in difficult settings that had little prior experience to draw upon. Not surprisingly, as the case studies described here demonstrate, no single strategy was available that could be employed across these diverse situations, and procedures that were successful in one country did not necessarily function well in another. The case studies also indicate that developing a successful program was as much an art as a science. The key ingredient was being able to distinguish when a somewhat radical new approach was needed and when only some fine-tuning was necessary. While not a focus of this book, the family planning programs had several important, indirect effects on the field of population studies that merit attention as part of the record. First, uncertainty about the programs' worth and how to measure the extent of their success spurred a great deal of research on the measuring and modeling of fertility and contraceptive practice, on fecundity issues, on the effect of marriage patterns on fertility, and on a host of related topics. Second, the programs greatly advanced the science of evaluation. Third, the programs led demographers to work with specialists from many other disciplines, including public health, economics, sociology, political science, and psychology. Finally, the family planning efforts attracted many new and talented people to the field of population studies. The 23 case studies presented here were the earliest national efforts to establish organized family planning programs for entire populations. The resulting chapters naturally vary in terms of their balance of history, analysis, and personal reflections given the wide diversity of national contexts and program types. The study's overall conclusion is that, for the most part, the family planning program "experiment" worked: policy and program interventions contributed substantially to the revolutionary rise of contraceptive use and to the decline in fertility that has occurred in the developing world in the past three decades.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Robinson, Warren C.; Ross, John A.. 2007. The Global Family Planning Revolution : Three Decades of Population Policies and Programs. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6788 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Strengthening Family Planning with Community-based Nutrition Interventions in Ethiopia : A Qualitative Study(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-06)A small-scale, exploratory, and qualitative operational research study was conducted in early 2011 to capture and examine stakeholder perspectives on integrated family planning (FP) programs implemented through Ethiopia's health extension program (HEP). Qualitative indications are that various stakeholders on both the supply and the demand side perceive that specific community-based nutrition (CBN) activities also delivered within HEP serve to link nutrition, family planning, and other health issues in socially acceptable and qualitatively effective ways. Remarkable concordance of qualitative indicators of service delivery, uptake, and satisfaction was noted on both the supply and demand side of service delivery at the sites studied. Respondent reports suggested the following: (i) active and successful delivery of both CBN and FP activities; (ii) some challenges with record keeping, supervision, and supplies; (iii) strong uptake of services and messages; (iv) a highly positive community-level perception of service quality, even in a partially capacitated kebele (neighborhood); and (v) an engaged response by participants. Qualitative indicators of community-level HEP staff, volunteer performance, and community satisfaction were generally positive. However, gaps and challenges to improving integration and delivery of FP and CBN within HEPs and in achieving sustainability in scale-up of integrated programs include (i) increasing capacity to support implant removal, (ii) maintaining human resources for health within the health extension program, and (iii) addressing the needs of youth in general and out-of-school youth in particular. Recommendations for improved delivery of integrated FP and CBN programs are to explore ways to (i) step up planning and resourcing for contraceptive implant removal, (ii) reduce staff turnover at the health posts and health centers, (iii) strengthen integrative supportive supervision and management of CBN, (iv) enhance recruitment and training of youth as health workers, (v) target adolescents and out-of-school youth for FP and CBN, (vi) harmonize integrated FP and CBN messaging, (vii) harmonize donor support for integration, and (viii) measure the effectiveness of integration.Publication Sri Lankan Population Change and Demographic Bonus Challenges and Opportunities in the New Millennium(Washington, DC, 2012-11)This paper examines the population changes and the related causative factors, namely fertility, mortality and international migration in Sri Lanka. During the past decades, the total size, as well as the age and sex structure of the population, was exposed to irreversible changes. The age structure transition has produced a demographic bonus conducive for an economic takeoff. During this period, the proportion of people of working age (15-59) is larger than the fraction in the dependent age categories. The paper includes a sector analysis of the employed population in the agriculture, industry and service sectors to identify the growth sectors of the economy and to reveal the potential patterns and levels of utilization of the demographic bonus. Finally, the social safety net implications of the emerging population, such as the dependency burden, aging, disability and the disintegration of traditional family system in Sri Lanka are examined. Sri Lanka's population has grown to 20 million in 2010, an almost eight-fold increase since the census of 1871. The population doubled 54 years after the first census (1925), then again in 35 years (1960), as a result of the relatively high population growth rate. The 2001 census calculated a population 18.7 million. By 2003, the population was estimated to be 19.2 million, a third doubling in 43 years. By 2010, the population of Sri Lanka had passed the 20 million mark.Publication The Population and Reproductive Health Capacity Building Program(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2008-03-05)This is the Global Program Review (GPR) of the Population and Reproductive Health Capacity Building Program (PRHCBP). Established in 1999, PRHCBP is a merger of three pre-existing programs: population and reproductive health, safe motherhood, and the program to reduce the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and adolescent health. The main objective of the program is to build the capacity of civil society organizations to develop and implement culturally appropriate interventions in the sensitive fields of population and reproductive health, leading to healthier behavior at individual and community levels, reducing the impoverishing effects of poor reproductive health, and improving reproductive, maternal and child health outcomes of hard-to-reach populations. The review follows Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) guidelines for preparing GPRs (annex A). These guidelines were first approved in 2006, well after PRHCBP was initially conceived and implemented. As a new evaluation product of IEG, GPRs are attempting to raise the standards of the design, management, implementation and evaluation of Global and Regional Partnership Programs (GRPPs). This is an ongoing process, and programs that are reviewed are not expected to have adhered to all the standards inherent in these guidelines, which had not been established at their outset.Publication Islamic Inheritance Law, Son Preference and Fertility Behavior of Muslim Couples in Indonesia(2012-02-01)This paper examines whether the son preference and fertility behavior of Muslim couples respond to the risk of inheritance expropriation by their extended family. According to traditional Islamic inheritance principles, only the son of a deceased man can exclude his male agnates from inheritance and preserve his estate within the nuclear household. The paper exploits cross-sectional and time variation in the application of the Islamic inheritance exclusion rule in Indonesia: between Muslim and non-Muslim populations affected by different legal systems, across men with different sibling sex composition, and before and after a change in Islamic law that allowed female children to exclude male relatives. The analysis finds that Muslim couples more affected by the exclusion rule exhibit stronger son preference, practice sex-differential fertility stopping, attain a higher proportion of sons, and have larger families than non-Muslims or Muslims for whom the exclusion rule is less binding.Publication The Potential for Integrating Community-Based Nutrition and Postpartum Family Planning : Review of Evidence and Experience in Low-Income Settings(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-11)The objective of this review was to study where community-based family planning and nutrition programs have been integrated, how this has been accomplished, and what the results have been. Although family planning is a nontraditional intervention in community-based nutrition programs, it can have profound effects on maternal and child health and nutrition. When family planning does not occur, short intervals between pregnancies deplete mothers' reserves of nutrients needed for pregnancy and later for breastfeeding. As a result, short birth intervals are associated with higher maternal and neonatal mortality and malnutrition rates of infants. Family planning, which promotes contraceptive use and the lactational amenorrhea method, can thus improve nutrition outcomes in both mothers and babies. The authors identified a few studies on integrated services in the published literature; thus the main part of the review is built on operational research studies and unpublished smaller scale intervention studies. However, the controlled studies that were identified indicate positive correlation between breastfeeding levels and increased contraception use. Additionally, although the design of the intervention studies did not make it possible to assess the degree to which integration had an impact, the studies did highlight factors that were key to a successful integration process. These are community engagement; multiple and frequent contact points between mothers, community volunteers, and health workers; involvement of husbands; moving implementation decisions closer to the users of the program; and assuring transparency, clarity, and simplicity in the transmission of development objectives to communities.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication World Development Report 2019(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2019)Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.Publication Ten Steps to a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System : A Handbook for Development Practitioners(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2004)An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society, international organizations, and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a 'readiness assessment' and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way.Publication The Power of Survey Design : A User's Guide for Managing Surveys, Interpreting Results, and Influencing Respondents(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2006)The vast majority of data used for economic research, analysis, and policy design comes from surveys-surveys of households, firms, schools, hospitals, and market participants, and, the accuracy of the estimate will depend on how well the survey is done. This innovative book is both a 'how-to' go about carrying out high-quality surveys, especially in the challenging environment of developing countries, and a 'user's guide' for anyone who uses statistical data. Reading this book will provide data users with a wealth of insight into what kinds of problems, or biases to look for in different data sources, based on the underlying survey approaches that were used to generate the data. In that sense the book is an invaluable 'skeptics guide to data'. Yet, the broad storyline of the book is something that should be absorbed by statistical data users. The book will teach and show how difficult it often is to obtain reliable estimates of important social and economic facts, and, therefore encourages you to approach all estimates with sensible caution.Publication Supporting Youth at Risk(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008)The World Bank has produced this policy Toolkit in response to a growing demand from our government clients and partners for advice on how to create and implement effective policies for at-risk youth. The author has highlighted 22 policies (six core policies, nine promising policies, and seven general policies) that have been effective in addressing the following five key risk areas for young people around the world: (i) youth unemployment, underemployment, and lack of formal sector employment; (ii) early school leaving; (iii) risky sexual behavior leading to early childbearing and HIV/AIDS; (iv) crime and violence; and (v) substance abuse. The objective of this Toolkit is to serve as a practical guide for policy makers in middle-income countries as well as professionals working within the area of youth development on how to develop and implement an effective policy portfolio to foster healthy and positive youth development.Publication Zimbabwe(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-03-01)This report presents an assessment of Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector disaster risk and management capacity. The findings indicate that Zimbabwe is highly exposed to agricultural risks and has limited capacity to manage risk at various levels. The report shows that disaster-related shocks along Zimbabwe’s agricultural supply chains directly translate to volatility in agricultural GDP. Such shocks have a substantial impact on economic growth, food security, and fiscal balance. When catastrophic disasters occur, the economy absorbs the shocks, without benefiting from any instruments that transfer the risk to markets and coping ability. The increasing prevalence of ‘shock recovery-shock’ cycles impairs Zimbabwe’s ability to plan and pursue a sustainable development path. The findings presented here confirm that it is highly pertinent for Zimbabwe to strengthen the capacity to manage risk at various levels, from the smallholder farmer, to other participants along the supply chain, to consumers (who require a reliable, safe food supply), and ultimately to the government to manage natural disasters. The assessment provides the following evidence on sources of risks and plausible risk management solutions. It is our hope that the report contributes to action by the Government of Zimbabwe to adopt a proactive and integrated risk management strategy appropriate to the current structure of the agricultural sector.