Publication:
Assessing Public Financing for Nutrition in Nepal (2011-2017)

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (529.75 KB)
187 downloads
English Text (29.47 KB)
22 downloads
Date
2021-10
ISSN
Published
2021-10
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Nepal reports better nutrition indicators than the South Asian average, though significant geographic and income-related inequalities remain in relation to nutrition outcomes. During the last decade, the government of Nepal has made proactive efforts to develop nutrition policy as a multisectoral priority. The total nutrition-related public spending in Nepal stood at 0.73 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in FY 2016-17, up from 0.57 percent of GDP in FY 2011-12. Nutrition-related expenditure is primarily driven by nutrition-sensitive interventions, which may not directly target malnutrition but do contribute to improving general nutritional status in synergy with nutrition-specific policies. On average between FY 2011-12 and FY 2017-18, 80 percent of nutrition-related allocations were spent, and spending of allocations was higher for nutrition-sensitive interventions than for nutrition-specific interventions. The country’s new federal structure and fiscal resource allocation can be an opportunity to improve nutrition-related financing, especially nutrition-specific financing, and reduce nutritional inequalities according to regional needs.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2021. Assessing Public Financing for Nutrition in Nepal (2011-2017). Health, Nutrition and Population Knowledge Brief;. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36623 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Assessing Public Financing for Nutrition in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10) World Bank
    Overall nutrition-specific expenditure in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka remains low, although substantial variation exists among these countries. Given the high rates of malnutrition in these countries, it is important to identify more fiscal space for nutrition, and to prioritize funding of proven, high-impact interventions. The share of spending on nutrition-specific versus nutrition-sensitive interventions should be carefully balanced in relation to the expected impact of the interventions being funded. The cause of underutilization of nutrition-related allocations should be analyzed to improve utilization or free up funds for interventions that are high-impact and well-executed. There are substantial limitations to tracking nutrition expenditures within the current budget allocation records. Standardized systems of data collection are recommended for all countries in the region and beyond. Standardized global guidance is needed for defining nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions to enhance comparability between studies in different countries.
  • Publication
    Assessing Public Financing for Improving Nutrition Outcomes and Human Capital in Bhutan
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10) World Bank
    Despite progress on population health outcomes in recent decades, malnutrition remains a policy concern in Bhutan, especially in rural areas and in the eastern region of the country. Addressing malnutrition is high on the government agenda, with clear targets, strategies, and action plans designed to address some specific malnutrition-related challenges. Assessing the level, distribution, and composition of public financing for nutrition is key to informing the design and implementation of corrective policies. Considering the growing burden of disease attributable to overnutrition, it is important that Bhutan’s nutrition action plan prioritizes overnutrition in addition to undernutrition.
  • Publication
    Assessing Public Financing for Nutrition in Sri Lanka (2014-2018)
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10) World Bank
    Relative to other countries in the region, Sri Lanka has invested modestly on nutrition programs and interventions. Current nutrition programs in Sri Lanka need to be reviewed, both in terms of design and beneficiaries, and prioritized in terms of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and good practices. The resource allocation for nutrition-specific interventions deserves revisiting, considering that these investments are driven by the nutrition agenda, and are more responsive to real needs. Mainstreaming nutrition in other sectors is also necessary, to ensure more voice in decision making, and to strengthen multisectoral engagement and coordination in nutrition. Targeted programs can be more cost-effective than blanket coverage as long as the targets are well selected, and a prioritization exercise is conducted to consider negative side effects. Nutrition awareness-raising programs and educational and promotive activities may deserve more allocation.
  • Publication
    Assessing Public Financing for Nutrition in Sri Lanka (2014–2018)
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2020-02-29) World Bank
    This study aims to assess the public financing for nutrition in Sri Lanka. The primary purpose is to understand the size and share of public investments in nutrition relative to the overall level of public expenditure in the country. Second, it discusses whether the nutrition interventions in which the government budget is spent are in line with the global evidence base and priorities set out in national policies. It also provides some recommendations on how such assessments could be improved from challenges and difficulties faced in undertaking this exercise. This report begins with background and contextual information of nutrition in Sri Lanka (chapter two). It then provides an overview of globally practiced nutrition interventions and policies and programs that have been implemented in the country (chapter three). Chapter four describes the approach used for the analysis followed by results and findings in chapter five. The report concludes with brief discussions on key findings, challenges, and recommendations in chapter six.
  • Publication
    Private Sector Assessment for Health, Nutrition and Population in Bangladesh
    (Washington, DC, 2003-11-18) World Bank
    The objectives of this Private Sector Assessment (PSA) are to gain a better understanding of the private health care markets in Bangladesh, and to identify areas for increased collaboration between the government, and the private sector. While the study analyzes private health care markets in general, it uses maternal and child health (MCH) as an area of special focus to illustrate general principles, and/or draw lessons for the broader health, nutrition, and population (HNP) sector. MCH was chosen for this emphasis in view of its importance in Bangladesh, and because MCH outcomes constitute a significant part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The PSA analysis confirmed that the private sector dominates the provision of basic care, nursing homes, laboratory and ambulatory diagnostic services; the public sector, however, remains the main provider of inpatient care. The private sector is used for the overwhelming majority of outpatient curative care, while the public sector is used for a larger proportion of hospital deliveries, and preventive care. The higher proportion of institutional deliveries in the public sector, should be understood by the fact that overall, the proportion of institutional deliveries is only 8%. Nonetheless, the dependence on the private sector for curative care is also true for the poor in the country: the poorest 20 percent of children have a higher dependence on the private sector for the management of acute respiratory infections, and diarrhea than the richest quintile. So, while expectedly the richest quintile spends more than the poorest quintile (by a factor of 6) on health care, the proportion of the spending that goes to the private sector, is higher among the poor than among the rich. Yet, financial barriers and lack of basic insurance coverage - public or private - appear to be major constraints for access to care for the poor, and, efforts need to address the financial, physical, and social barriers, especially for the women and the poorer population groups. Key issues stipulate: the public sector is not strategically using the scarce resources that are available in the private sector, aggravated by a low level of public expenditure on health care, conducing to a low level care provision, with the consequent shortages of formally trained staff. In particular, the following three areas appear to deserve priority in government actions: under-consumption of services by the poor and women; service quality and outcomes; and, the knowledge base.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, January 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16) World Bank
    Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.
  • Publication
    Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-05) World Bank
    Digitalization is the transformational opportunity of our time. The digital sector has become a powerhouse of innovation, economic growth, and job creation. Value added in the IT services sector grew at 8 percent annually during 2000–22, nearly twice as fast as the global economy. Employment growth in IT services reached 7 percent annually, six times higher than total employment growth. The diffusion and adoption of digital technologies are just as critical as their invention. Digital uptake has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.5 billion new internet users added from 2018 to 2022. The share of firms investing in digital solutions around the world has more than doubled from 2020 to 2022. Low-income countries, vulnerable populations, and small firms, however, have been falling behind, while transformative digital innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) have been accelerating in higher-income countries. Although more than 90 percent of the population in high-income countries was online in 2022, only one in four people in low-income countries used the internet, and the speed of their connection was typically only a small fraction of that in wealthier countries. As businesses in technologically advanced countries integrate generative AI into their products and services, less than half of the businesses in many low- and middle-income countries have an internet connection. The growing digital divide is exacerbating the poverty and productivity gaps between richer and poorer economies. The Digital Progress and Trends Report series will track global digitalization progress and highlight policy trends, debates, and implications for low- and middle-income countries. The series adds to the global efforts to study the progress and trends of digitalization in two main ways: · By compiling, curating, and analyzing data from diverse sources to present a comprehensive picture of digitalization in low- and middle-income countries, including in-depth analyses on understudied topics. · By developing insights on policy opportunities, challenges, and debates and reflecting the perspectives of various stakeholders and the World Bank’s operational experiences. This report, the first in the series, aims to inform evidence-based policy making and motivate action among internal and external audiences and stakeholders. The report will bring global attention to high-performing countries that have valuable experience to share as well as to areas where efforts will need to be redoubled.
  • Publication
    The Container Port Performance Index 2023
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-18) World Bank
    The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference for stakeholders in the global economy. These stakeholders include port authorities and operators, national governments, supranational organizations, development agencies, and other public and private players in trade and logistics. The index highlights where vessel time in container ports could be improved. Streamlining these processes would benefit all parties involved, including shipping lines, national governments, and consumers. This fourth edition of the CPPI relies on data from 405 container ports with at least 24 container ship port calls in the calendar year 2023. As in earlier editions of the CPPI, the ranking employs two different methodological approaches: an administrative (technical) approach and a statistical approach (using matrix factorization). Combining these two approaches ensures that the overall ranking of container ports reflects actual port performance as closely as possible while also being statistically robust. The CPPI methodology assesses the sequential steps of a container ship port call. ‘Total port hours’ refers to the total time elapsed from the moment a ship arrives at the port until the vessel leaves the berth after completing its cargo operations. The CPPI uses time as an indicator because time is very important to shipping lines, ports, and the entire logistics chain. However, time, as captured by the CPPI, is not the only way to measure port efficiency, so it does not tell the entire story of a port’s performance. Factors that can influence the time vessels spend in ports can be location-specific and under the port’s control (endogenous) or external and beyond the control of the port (exogenous). The CPPI measures time spent in container ports, strictly based on quantitative data only, which do not reveal the underlying factors or root causes of extended port times. A detailed port-specific diagnostic would be required to assess the contribution of underlying factors to the time a vessel spends in port. A very low ranking or a significant change in ranking may warrant special attention, for which the World Bank generally recommends a detailed diagnostic.
  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, June 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10) World Bank
    The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.
  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, January 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-01-09) World Bank
    Note: Chart 1.2.B has been updated on January 18, 2024. Chart 2.2.3 B has been updated on January 14, 2024. Global growth is expected to slow further this year, reflecting the lagged and ongoing effects of tight monetary policy to rein in inflation, restrictive credit conditions, and anemic global trade and investment. Downside risks include an escalation of the recent conflict in the Middle East, financial stress, persistent inflation, weaker-than-expected activity in China, trade fragmentation, and climate-related disasters. Against this backdrop, policy makers face enormous challenges. In emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), commodity exporters face the enduring challenges posed by fiscal policy procyclicality and volatility, which highlight the need for robust fiscal frameworks. Across EMDEs, previous episodes of investment growth acceleration underscore the critical importance of macroeconomic and structural policies and an enabling institutional environment in bolstering investment and long-term growth. At the global level, cooperation needs to be strengthened to provide debt relief, facilitate trade integration, tackle climate change, and alleviate food insecurity.