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Background Objective Methods Results Conclusions Pakistan is a densely populated South Asian country. It is facing numerous health challenges, as well as problems of the digital divide. The government of Pakistan established e‐libraries as a pilot project in 2018. These libraries are functioning through community centers/public libraries in the largest province of the country.This paper examines the role of Pakistani e‐libraries in creating health awareness and providing health information to the public.The qualitative research design was based on focus group discussions with the head librarians of all 13 of the 20 e‐libraries contacted.The findings revealed that e‐libraries actively create health‐related awareness and connect the public to health advisors. The e‐libraries were engaged in four types of health‐related activities (seminars, awareness campaigns, open health camps, and special health day celebrations) with high attendance from the public. Attendees of these programs returned to librarians with additional health‐related queries.The study suggests a need for more liaison between the community and local healthcare institutions. This approach can make these programs more effective in helping individuals manage their health. The results of this study can serve as a useful guide for other developing nations in developing similar services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is a problem that is increasingly of concern to global fisheries resources and the aquatic environment. Nearly 2% of all fishing gear used in marine fisheries is lost to the ocean annually. This has negative impacts on the aquatic ecosystem, which includes but not limited to ghostfishing mortality to commercial, recreational and protected species, degradation of benthic habitat, and change to the ecosystem. Fishing gear left in the sea can drift ashore affecting recreational use of beaches and shorelines and poses hazards to navigation. Most of the research on ALDFG has been in the marine fisheries of the developed world with very few studies in the inland fisheries, mostly in the developing world of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. This paper reviews and synthesizes literature about the status of ALDFG in inland fisheries globally. Only 16 studies, between 1970 to 2023, that referenced ALDFG causes, levels, impacts, and preventive measures were found. Thus, this review highlights that ALDFG in inland fisheries remains a highly understudied area of aquatic plastic pollution. Further studies are recommended to fully understand its status, extent, and potential environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' comfort and familiarity with digital interactions are helping drive the rise of digital banking. Banks are responding to customers' demands by introducing cutting‐edge digital services designed to improve customers' quality of life and cut costs. To better understand the obstacles preventing the widespread adoption of digital banking in developing Asian economies, we conducted a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis for this study. The data is extracted from the Scopus database, which initially contains 4211 articles, from which 152 articles were selected using PRISMA 2020 criteria for bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software, and 85 papers were subjected to full‐text review. The review, limited to the Scopus database, uncovered essential themes, theories and methodologies used in prior research. We discuss constraints, difficulties and research gaps, illuminating critical regions of the field. Our findings offer helpful information for developing strategies to encourage the use of digital banking. The unexplored areas of crowdfunding, Robo‐advisors, payment apps, neo banks, P2P lending apps and investing apps were highlighted as future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this paper was to analyze the bidirectional relationship between financial development and economic growth for a dataset of Latin American and Asian developing countries between 2001 and 2019. Method: This research employed an empirical approach to analyze the statistical relationship between financial development and economic growth, by presenting an estimation of a system of simultaneous equations for a panel of Asian and Latin American countries using 3SLS. Main Results: The results presented in this research provided evidence that financial development does not appear to have a significant impact on economic growth, although growth appears to have a significant and positive influence on financial development. Moreover, the results also suggested that regulatory quality and domestic credit directed to the private sector have a positive effect on economic growth, while urbanization and education showed a negative influence on growth. The estimated model also indicated that urbanization has a positive influence on financial development while foreign direct investment presented a negative effect on the development of the financial sector. Relevance / Originality: Most of the research agenda on the topic of finance and growth has focused on identifying correlation or causality between these variables, with little attention given to the simultaneous relationship between them. This is still a clear gap in economic literature. Following this premise, the objective of this paper was to analyze the bidirectional relationship between financial development and growth by estimating a system of simultaneous equations using the Zellner and Theil’s (1962) 3SLS methodology. In this sense, the main contribution will be given empirically, based on data and analysis from emerging countries in Latin America and Asia. The fact that financial development has an influence on growth and growth plays a role on the development of the financial sector indicates a simultaneous relationship between these variables. Another relevant contribution is to update the debate on financial systems and economic development for emerging countries, highlighting institutional aspects and financial cycles. Theoretical / Methodological Contributions: The main contribution of this study is in the empirical strategy, whose results dialogue with part of the literature on the financial system and development presented along the text. That is, this research explored the statistical relationship between economic development and financial development for a sample composed by twenty-two Asian and Latin American emerging countries, using a simultaneous equations model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) are a very efficient system for space heating and cooling, and it was established in 1904. GSHPs can minimize the environmental effect of buildings by using the ground as a renewable energy source. The ground will act as a heat sink or heat source. The research collection aims at finding the various possible opportunities for the effective integration of shallow geothermal energy (SGE) to decrease the fossil energy in the built environment and to reduce emission associated with it. The direct utilization of SGE using a ground source heat pump (GSHP) has been reviewed in detail for global north and global south countries, with a primary focus on heating application. The punctual information of results of various authors have been extensively summarized. This review discusses the GSHP installation status, SGE availability, GSHP system simulation, feasibilities, and performance. Worldwide more than one million GSHP systems have been installed, and the system is prevalent in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Most of the systems are installed for heating-dominated buildings in the global north. This paper also contains the research details pertaining to the last two decades about refrigerants and compressors for the development of GSHP. Finally, the feasibility study and the performance of the GSHP unit for different climatic conditions are reviewed and it is found that the technique is more feasible for cold and dry climatic conditions. This paper highlights the recent research findings and a potential gap in the above components for further research and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyses the association between participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) and structural change as measured by the reallocation of labor towards sectors with higher productivity levels and growth rates. • The analysis looks into 40 Developing Economies (DEs) from the regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America during the period 1993–2015. • The evidence so far does not indicate any significant association between participation in GVC-related trade and growth-enhancing structural change in DEs. • Rather, we find some weak evidence suggesting that participation in GVC might be associated with the increasing concentration of labor in sectors experiencing declining productivity growth rates/ and or falling share of employment in sectors experiencing positive productivity growth rates in DEs. Multiple studies on economic transition have argued that participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) can facilitate the process of structural transformation in developing economies by reallocating labor from less productive to more productive sectors. However, there is a dearth of empirical work investigating the claim. We analyze forty countries from the regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America over the period 1993–2015 to explore the relationship between GVC participation and structural transformation in developing economies. We do not find any significant association between participation in GVCs and structural transformation, as measured by the reallocation of labor towards sectors with higher productivity levels. Rather, we find some evidence that participation in GVCs might be associated with the increasing concentration of labor in sectors experiencing declining productivity growth and /or falling employment in sectors witnessing positive productivity growth, thus contributing towards hindering the process of successful structural transformation in developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the conditional effectiveness of foreign aid for economic growth. Theoretically, I argue that to maximize the chance to stay in office, the leaders of a large winning coalition will spend the aid money as intended, to provide public goods, which aids economic growth. On the other hand, leaders of a small winning coalition will spend the money on private goods, which is less effective for growth. To test this argument, I construct a panel data set for 28 Asian countries (1990-2010) and apply the generalized method of moments. I find that the interaction between ODA and coalition size significantly affects economic growth. Broadly, for large winning coalitions, growth rate increases with higher ODA, while for small winning coalitions it decreases with higher ODA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the total trade openness, goods trade openness and service trade openness of developing countries with different incomes in Asia. After that, the relationship between trade and economic growth is analyzed in a cycle from 2004 to 2020. A total of 663 sample sizes from 39 countries were used for the fixed-effect regression analysis of the development of Asian countries; at the same time, income levels were divided into low-middle-income countries, high-middle-income countries, and high-income countries to distinguish the economic impact of trade openness at different income levels. growth impact. Countries and high-income countries are returning independently. The results show that the total openness of product and service trade in emerging countries at different income levels has a positive impact on economic growth. Therefore, on the basis of the regression results, this paper puts forward targeted economic suggestions in combination with developing countries with different income levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar cooking is one of the significant applications of solar thermal conversion systems. In some of the developing countries of Asia and Africa, firewood was the only cooking option. Hence, outdoor solar cookers have gained popularity in such places due to household air pollution caused by the former. With the onset of urbanization, few developing countries have adopted kerosene, coal, and liquified petroleum gas in place of firewood, which in turn leads to the emission of harmful gases in the kitchen. On the other side, solar cooking has poor social acceptance in developed countries as it is an outdoor activity i.e. under the sun. Hence, a detailed review concerning the outdoor (in general) and indoor (in specific) solar cookers have been presented in part I of this paper: "Sustainable mechanism to popularize round-the-clock indoor solar cooking – Part I: Global status." It reveals the importance of indoor solar cooking and the dearth of relevant experimental and numerical studies. Such a system is also essential to popularize solar cooking in developed countries (wherein electric cookers have already gained momentum). Hence, the present study proposes a passive indoor solar cooking system that can perform round-the-clock indoor cooking. The hypothesis of the proposed passive indoor solar cooking system, which is based on a coupled natural circulation system, is experimentally investigated with relevant assumptions. It yields the desired output and can perform efficiently without heat input, replicating off-sunshine hour cooking. Later, the experimental results are used to validate a numerical model (Ansys Fluent), which is further extended to replicate a practical system. Upon defining the appropriate boundary conditions, the numerical results depicted repetitive boiling (1 l of water for nine times) in the time range of 680–1500 s with heat load (daytime operation) and 700–1000 s without heat load (replicates off-sunshine hour cooking). Thus, the focused design is quite feasible, and with further recommendations being invoked, the evolution of a sustainable mechanism for round-the-clock indoor solar cooking is apparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financing climate change mitigation and adaptation in Asia is critical for its population and economies but also for those of the world. This editorial provides a commentary and overview of ten articles within this special issue of Climate Policy on 'Green Finance in Asia'. Contributions are diverse in terms of focus and methods. Most of the articles focus on managing transition risk with six of the articles having an energy focus; the dominant themes are the risk of stranded coal assets in China; the role of export finance by China and Japan for fossil fuel-fired power generation assets within Asia; and investment in renewable power generation and the policies to support such investment. The remaining four articles explore various policies in specific country contexts: the effects of green bond policies in China; the greening of monetary policy in China; the governance of sustainable finance in Indonesia; and policies to support investment and finance of off-grid electricity access in Bangladesh. Most of the ten contributions come from researchers in developed countries and principally from non-Asian countries, suggesting there is a need to develop green finance research capability and capacity across Asia. Despite being withing scope of the special issue, this collection does not contain papers on physical risk or adaptation finance. We highlight these as important gaps and priorities for future research. Key policy insights This editorial provides a commentary and overview of ten articles within this special issue of Climate Policy on 'Green Finance in Asia'. Most of the ten contributions come from researchers in developed countries and principally from non-Asian countries. There is a need to develop green finance research capability and capacity across Asia. Most contributions were focussed on transition risk, with limited or no focus on physical risk and adaptation finance. This likely reflects the multiple resource and expertise challenges faced when conducting physical risks assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the levels and trajectories of physical rehabilitation needs across five resource-poor world regions, against global and key country-specific benchmarks. This comparative, secondary cross-region analysis uses data from the Global Burden of Diseases study 2017 [1990–2017], specifically varied metrics of the Years Lived with Disability (YLD) measure from the health conditions likely benefiting from physical rehabilitation. All the resource-poor world regions had significant increases (p < 0.01) in the absolute, relative, and percentage of physical rehabilitation needs [1990–2017]. Nonetheless, The Asia-Pacific region stood out with the greatest YLD Rates (i.e., per population size) in 2017, the greatest growth in YLD Rates since 1990 (38%), and an exponential growth in the rehabilitation-sensitive YLD Rates. The Asia-Pacific region also had the greatest portion of their YLDs coming from rehabilitation-sensitive conditions (72% in 2017), closely followed by the Latin America & Caribbean (67%). Nonetheless, in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, we observed the greatest percent increases in the portion of physical rehabilitation needs among all YLDs, out of lower initial values. An overall growth but differential patterns were observed in the evolution of physical rehabilitation needs across the resource-poor world regions. Asia-Pacific and Latin America & Caribbean regions had over than two-thirds of their non-fatal health loss arising from conditions sensitive to physical rehabilitation, and important growths in rehabilitation need indicators have been observed also for South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The scale-up and strengthening of rehabilitation services and resources should be informed by needs-based data. The needs-based data from this study can inform trans-national developments and the planning of rehabilitation resources, inclusively at the world-region level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, inequality has been rising in Europe, North America and parts of Asia. How does our understanding of global inequality dynamics change if coverage is extended to the rest of the developing world? To rebalance the perspective on global inequality trends, this paper surveys data and literature on recent inequality trends in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It finds that in these regions there are more countries with falling than rising inequality over the past 20 years, as measured by Ginis of income or consumption inequality. At the global level, therefore, there are signs of inequality convergence, as inequality has been falling in countries with high inequality in the 1990s (particularly Latin America), and rising in historically low-inequality countries. We discuss the political and economic drivers of inequality decline in countries with a steady fall in the Gini. This suggests some common trends across the globe, including the role of democratisation, the rise of new social movements, and the expansion of education and social safety nets and favourable commodity prices, in reducing income disparities. This paper calls for more country-level comparisons of inequality trends, to highlight the multiplicity of paths in this latest phase of globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective of this paper is to review the literature on the incidence of cleft lip and palate (CLP) in the developing countries of Asia and Africa. The existing literature tends to focus on developed countries and there is lack of research in developing countries. Methods: The studies that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed and data extracted. There were 20 studies done in Asian and African countries which were included. Results: The incidence of CLP in Asian countries is markedly greater than in African countries. Most studies report a male predominance in CLPs and a female predominance in cleft palates. The male dominance is seen more than other developing countries which is consistent with other Asian countries and the same has been found in African countries. In the Nepalese study, females were slightly more affected than males among all clefts. The incidence or prevalence in the frequency and types of malformations of CLP in developing countries has been provided. Conclusions: The review underlines the need for an aggressive approach to prevent and control CLP in patients in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Market services have proved to behave as a key sector in fuelling economic growth in developing regions. • Distributive trade and business services show strong increasing returns of scale. • Business services are particularly relevant for output and productivity increases. The paper analyses the contribution of services vis-à-vis manufacturing as a driving force of economic growth in developing regions. In doing so, we test Kaldor´s first and second growth laws for different service categories, providing a comparative view across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The work focuses attention on the importance of sector-level disaggregation in exploring the relationship between productivity and economic growth. Hence, it accounts for services sector heterogeneity to help to disentangle those specific branches that may fuel economic growth in the different regions. Panel data estimations are performed for a sample of 32 countries during 1970–2010. Our findings support the key role of manufacturing for growth. However, they also emphasise how market services (particularly, business service activities) may also enhance productivity and output growth 'à la Kaldor'. The research supports recent claims for modernising industrial policy in a way that promotes but is not limited to manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterocytozoon bieneusi (E. bieneusi), which is one of the most common microsporidia, has been identified as an important obligate intracellular pathogen that commonly colonizes in a variety of animal species and humans worldwide, including humans. In this study, the statistical analyses of E. bieneusi infection and prevalence were performed to clarify the relationship between different genotypes in different countries. The databases Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Chinese Journal Database, Wanfang Data, PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect were used for data collection. The research data were subjected to subgroup, univariate regression, and correlation, to reveal factors related to the high prevalence of E. bieneusi. A total of, 34 of the 498 articles published before April 2022 met the inclusion criteria. The global prevalence of E. bieneusi in pigs was 37.69% (5175/12672). The prevalence of E. bieneusi in nursery pigs was 58.87% (588/946). In developing countries and Asia, the highest prevalence of E. bieneusi in pigs were 37.62% (4752/11645) and 40.14% (4715/11345), respectively. Moreover, humans and pigs have been found to be infected with the same genotype of E. bieneusi in some cases, as evidenced by the consolidation of genotype information. The results showed that pigs are susceptible to E. bieneusi during the nursery period. The prevalence of E. bieneusi is high in developing countries, and its genotype prevalence varies in each country. Thus, it is essential to strengthen the health inspection of vulnerable groups and customs quarantine inspection. • A total of 34 papers containing 12672 pigs from 12 countries were analyzed, and the prevalence was 37.69%. • The prevalence of E. bieneusi pigs in developing countries is higher than that in developed countries. • Higher positive rates were observed in pigs raised in scale farms. • A total of 265 ITS genotypes of E. bieneusi were found in investigated pigs • Pig is one of the important potential sources of E. bieneusi infection in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: For many of the developing world's poorest farmers and food‐insecure people, roots, tubers, bananas and plantain crops (RTBs) serve as a critical source of food, nutrition and cash income. RTBs have been particularly important in areas where local agri‐food systems are under stress. Under such circumstances, growers, processors and traders often see opportunities to improve food security or increase their incomes with those crops due to shifting tastes and preferences for food and non‐food products. Since the early 1990s, cassava output surged in sub‐Saharan Africa, while potato production expanded rapidly in Asia. RTBs are consumed by over three billion people in developing countries with a market value of US$ 339 billion. This paper analyses the major changes in production, utilisation and trade of RTBs over the last six decades, assesses estimates of their future trajectory and offers recommendations so that they might achieve their full potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviewing selected policy responses in Asia and South America, this paper draws pragmatic lessons for developing countries to better address the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that not acting quickly and adequately incurs much higher costs. So-called 'best practices', while useful, may be inappropriate, especially if not complemented by effective and suitable socio-economic measures. Public understanding, support and cooperation, not harsh and selective enforcement of draconian measures, are critical for successful implementation of containment strategies. This requires inclusive and transparent policy-making, and well-coordinated and accountable government actions that build and maintain trust between citizens and government. In short, addressing the pandemic crisis needs 'all of government' and 'whole of society' approaches under credible leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Perceptions of AV safety were surveyed across 41,932 individuals in 51 countries. • Young, high-income, employed, and highly-educated males are the most optimistic about AV safety. • Western European countries are aware of AV technology, but are pessimistic about its safety. • Conversely, developing countries in Asia are the most optimistic about current and future AV safety. • AV safety optimism in risk-taking individuals and developing countries may reduce global disparity in road safety. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are envisioned to reduce road fatalities by switching control of safety-critical tasks from humans to machines. Realizing safety benefits on the ground depends on technological advancement as well as the scale and rate of AV adoption, which are influenced by public perceptions. Employing multilevel structural equation modeling, this paper explores differences in perceptions of AV safety across 33,958 individuals in 51 countries. At the individual level, young males report higher perceptions of current AV safety and predict fewer years until AVs are safe enough for them to use. Since young males are more likely to undertake risky driving behavior, their positivity towards AV safety could lead to more rapid manifestations of safety benefits. Urban, fully employed individuals with higher incomes and education levels also report fewer years until AVs are safe to use. The multilevel model identifies country-level effects after controlling for individual characteristics. Developed countries with greater motorization rates and lower road death rates tend to have greater awareness of AVs but are more pessimistic about their present and future safety. Individuals in developing countries that face greater road safety challenges, particularly involving 2- and 3-wheeled vehicles, predict fewer years until AVs will be safe enough for them to use. Higher AV safety perception among the most risk-taking road users and in developing countries coincide with sociodemographic groups and geographic areas facing the greatest road safety challenges and most in need of improvement, highlighting a potential opportunity to reduce the global disparity in road safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developing countries still struggle with late detection and mortality from pertussis. A review of clinical case definitions is necessary for early disease detection. This paper aimed to study possible clinical characteristics for earlier pertussis detection in a sporadic setting. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of medical and laboratory records in a general paediatric ward of a district hospital in a developing country. Inclusion criteria were all children hospitalised with nasopharyngeal swab taken for Bordetella pertussis. We compared sensitivity and specificity of World Health Organization diagnostic criteria with other clinical characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction Bordetella pertussis was the gold standard used. Results: Out of 207 eligible admissions, the study retrieved 128 complete records. Approximately half of the children were less than 3 months old. The World Health Organization diagnostic criteria had a low sensitivity (15%), but high specificity (92%). In comparison, combinations that included paroxysmal cough, ill contact and facial congestion had higher sensitivity. Increasing cough duration improved specificity while compromising sensitivity. Conclusion: Several clinical characteristics such as paroxysmal cough, facial congestion and a history of ill contact have potential for early clinical detection. Conventional emphasis on cough duration may hamper early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under current population growth and demographic trends – with food demand projected to increase by 60%–70% by 2050 – another quantum leap in food production and disruptive change in agricultural and food systems are needed in Asia. Certainly, the Green Revolution and other technological advances enormously improved agricultural productivity on the region's farms. But to fully benefit from an infusion of advanced knowledge and high technologies, agricultural workforces need 'Industry 4.0' skills, but for now are falling short. This paper argues that investing in education and skills development to create a new breed of 'agropreneurs' in Asian developing countries is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of mineral extraction in South East Asia, the rural poor are generally portrayed as victims of large, invading corporatized mining enterprises. However, this paper argues that local villagers have also shown considerable agency in taking advantage of the mineral resource boom by diversifying their livelihoods to include informal mining. In South East Asia, the growth of informal mining has occurred within the overall process of agrarian transition. This paper focuses on a mineral-rich valley in southern Laos to highlight the location-specific nature of such transitions. The valley's environmental transformation has both caused and accompanied a modification in the peasant ways of life, and the recent entry of transnational mining companies and the growing market price of tin have fundamentally altered the relationships of the peasants with place, while at the same time encouraging them to claim mineral resource rights in ways that are not accommodated in conventional mining legislation. To conclude, the paper notes the multiple interpretations and contradictions of the increasing mineral dependence among Lao peasants in a rapidly changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the literature examining the relationship between women's empowerment and contraceptive use, unmet need for contraception and related family planning topics in developing countries. Searches were conducted using PubMed, Popline and Web of Science search engines in May 2013 to examine literature published between January 1990 and December 2012. Among the 46 articles included in the review, the majority were conducted in South Asia (n=24). Household decision-making (n=21) and mobility (n=17) were the most commonly examined domains of women's empowerment. Findings show that the relationship between empowerment and family planning is complex, with mixed positive and null associations. Consistently positive associations between empowerment and family planning outcomes were found for most family planning outcomes but those investigations represented fewer than two-fifths of the analyses. Current use of contraception was the most commonly studied family planning outcome, examined in more than half the analyses, but reviewed articles showed inconsistent findings. This review provides the first critical synthesis of the literature and assesses existing evidence between women's empowerment and family planning use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The contribution of copper-bearing intrauterine devices (IUDs) to overall contraceptive protection has declined in many countries, despite their well-known advantages. In response, initiatives to promote this method have been undertaken.Objective: To review and interpret the experience of interventions to promote use of IUDs in low- and middle-income countries in order to provide strategic guidance for policies and programs.Methods: We conducted a systematic search of Medline, Popline, Embase and Global Health electronic databases for relevant journal papers, reports and gray literature since 2010. Telephone interviews were held with two donors and six international family planning organizations.Results: We identified a total of 31 publications. Four reported the results of randomized control trials and three were derived from quasi-experiments. The majority were based on service statistics. Eight publications concerned interventions for HIV-positive women or couples, nine for postpartum or postabortion cases and 14 for general populations. Intervention approaches included vouchers, franchising of private practitioners, mobile outreach services, placement of dedicated staff in high-volume facilities and demand creation. Most publications adduced evidence of a positive impact and some reported impressively large numbers of IUD insertions. Results to date on the uptake of IUDs in postpartum interventions are modest. There is also almost no evidence of effects on IUD use at national levels. Implant uptake generally exceeded IUD uptake when both were offered.Conclusion: The evidence base is weak and offers few lessons on what strategies are most effective. The overall impression is that IUD use can be increased in a variety of ways but that progress is hampered by persistent adverse perceptions by both providers and potential clients. Provider enthusiasm is a key to success. The lack of a population impact stems in part from the fact that nearly all interventions are initiated by international organizations, with limited national reach except in small countries, rather than by government agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asia is densely populated and home to most of the world's megacities. However, its urban primacy and urban concentration, especially those of developing Asia, are much lower than their counterparts in the rest of the world. This is an important puzzle that has not been addressed in the literature. Motivated by a theory of Krugman and Livas Elizondo, this paper attributes the lower urban concentration and urban primacy to higher levels of trade openness in Asia. Empirical evidences are provided using panel data from developing countries in Asia, from the rest of the developing world, and from China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper attempts to trace the evolution of the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM), and the definition of the term as it is being currently understood. The paper then proceeds to discuss its relevance as a strategy to be adopted in water resources development and management. The term IWRM is a current buzzword that is vigorously pursued in developing countries by many water professionals. However, the paper notes that its underlying concepts have been reflected in traditional water management practices in some countries several centuries ago. The paper comments on the applicability of the prescribed strategies in today's context. Lessons for an integrated approach to manage the water resources in a country can be drawn from any source, but the wisdom of trying to fully replicate the developed country management models in the present context of Asia is questionable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to extend the theory of services-led industrial policy in services dominated but industrially lagging developing Asian economies and discuss its implications for employment, competitiveness, and diversification. Design/methodology/approach -- An inductive approach using qualitative methodology is adopted reviewing the available literature and evidence from Pakistan. The critical synthesis of the history of economic growth and industrial policy has followed Kuhn's paradigm approach. Findings -- Focusing on Pakistan, the paper synthesizes the history of industrial policy to identify the major paradigm shifts, especially the structural reforms era of the 1990s. The evidence suggests that the reforms under the structural adjustment program (SAP) have proved to be the necessary but not sufficient conditions for inclusive growth and industrial competitiveness in services dominated economies. Services-led growth without an integrated and competitive industrial sector can lead to severe external accounts deficits and unemployment. The traditional role of services as "driver of demand/growth" is extended as "driver of productivity/competitiveness" through forward linkages with other sectors of the economy. The services sector's enabling role as the "software" of the economy and its impact on total factor productivity growth, diversification, and inclusive growth is postulated. Research limitations/implications -- A quantification of forward and backward linkages is needed to identify the potential of services sub-sectors in driving growth and productivity, respectively. Originality/value -- The paper identifies the need to match the existing industrial policy regimes with the economic structures in services-dominated developing economies. The role of forward linkages in the productivity growth has implications for measurement of services output in national accounts in order to fully capture the contribution of this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policymakers in developing countries, including those of the Asia-Pacific region, often face a tough dilemma. They realize that formulating good policy requires careful consideration of various options to arrive at policies that are well suited to the particular circumstances of their country or area, but can still achieve the desired end. At the same time, they are subject to significant pressure, both domestic and international, to define and implement policies quickly. The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) has been gathering and analyzing case studies of good environmental policy practices, with a strong focus on the Asia-Pacific region, in order to help policymakers make better policy decisions based on the experiences of others facing similar challenges. This paper completes the series of eight linked papers presented in this special issue of the International Review for Environmental Strategies. Based on the analyses in the preceding papers and on a textual pattern-matching exercise carried out on the whole database of good practice case studies gathered under the Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) project, this paper makes recommendations and draws lessons and conclusions for environmental policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter introduces and describes the methodology used in a recent research program aimed at identifying useful lessons about what has made environmental policies successful in developing countries, particularly in Asia-Pacific. These lessons are intended mainly for policymakers. The study used qualitative research methods, including textual pattern matching, to analyze more than 100 good practices in the area of environmental policy that comprise the Good Practices database of the Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) project of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). This paper outlines how the original good practice case studies were gathered and documented and then the stages of research and analysis in the current study. It is intended as a part of the series of eight linked papers in this special issue of the International Review for Environmental Strategies (IRES). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine Japanese manufacturing firms' policies towards intra-firm technology transfer to subsidiaries located in 10 major countries in Asia. In contrast to other research on the topic, this paper is based on a study of parent firms and thus examines technology transfer policies more directly. The aims of the paper are to explain what Japanese parent firms understand by technology transfer, and to assess the policy implications of the study. The findings indicate that Japanese parent companies have coherent, systematic and nuanced policies on technology transfer to subsidiaries in developing countries. Three distinct categories of technology ("production/supply chain knowledge"; "human resources systems" and "technology for innovation") are recognised by firms and policies exist for each category, including whether it will be transferred, the extent of the transfer—and when. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Since health research has become increasingly acknowledged as an important tool for development, many approaches have been undertaken to understand national health research from a systems perspective. This paper reviews 28 case studies that describe or analyse health research systems in 26 low- and middle-income countries. These case studies were sponsored either by the Council on Health Research for Development or the South-East Asia Regional Office of the World Health Organization. In reviewing these case studies, we identify several common challenges facing national health research systems. These challenges include the lack of coordination in research activities; the inadequate participation of stakeholders in research, policy and implementation processes; the lack of demand for research and the low accessibility of research findings. These obstacles are compounded by some fundamental systems constraints, such as the lack of financial resources, human capacities, infrastructure and data. By identifying from these case studies the common challenges of health research systems as well as approaches to overcome these, this paper highlights the potential for case studies to inform policies and strategies for strengthening health research systems, and presents recommendations for future case studies to increase this potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The major paradigms of the development discourse have recently incorporated the language of rights. To move from the rhetoric of human rights to concretely elaborate the content of rights for informal workers, particularly women, in Asia is the purpose of this paper. Using a rights-based approach to development, the paper takes up the issue of gender-enabling worker rights in the context of developing economies that are increasingly open to external influences. A matrix of rights consisting of the right to work, broadly defined, safe work, minimum income and social security are identified as core issues for informal workers. Further, we focus attention on four specific groups of informal workers: self-employed independent producers and service workers, self-employed street vendors, dependent producers such as homeworkers and outworkers, and dependent wageworkers. Gender-sensitive micro-economic and macro-economic and social polices are identified for each of these segments of the informal workers. The access to economic, market and social reproduction needs are to be addressed simultaneously to ensure the basic matrix of rights for women informal workers in developing countries. Each of the needs of the workers have to be viewed as a right and a system of institutions or mechanisms that will help to bring these rights to the center of policy have to be worked out. The claim of women and informal workers for a voice in the macro policy decisions through representation at the local, national and international levels is at the heart of the rights-based approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interprets the experience of the East and South East Asian electronics industry from a "Gerschenkronian" perspective in order to draw lessons for other developing countries. Following Gerschenkron, the paper argues that it is diversity, rather than unifor mity, in the institutional, technological and development policy arenas (called here "strategic innovation") that characterizes the experience of the Asian newly industrializing economies (NIEs). The experience of the leading export industry shows that the progress of the NIEs can be interpreted as a pattern of substitution of missing prerequisites, in line with Gerschenkron's view of European latecomer industrialization. More broadly, the progress of the NIEs should not be viewed as repetitions of earlier industrialization experiences as they involve significant deviations from the latter, usually entailing distinctive strategic innovations. This interpret ation presents a difficult challenge for those wishing to draw lessons from the Asian NIEs. There are few direct lessons from East and South East Asia for other countries and certainly no transferable or standardized "model" of development. Other paths and patterns of develop ment need to be identified and created that build upon the distinctive resources of individual developing countries. Strategic innovation, trial-and-error learning and variety are likely to continue to characterize successful industrial development in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the Chinese government’s ‘belt and road’ initiative – the Silk Roads vision of land and maritime logistics and communications networks connecting Asia, Europe and Africa – has its roots in sub-national ideas and practices, and that it reflects their elevation to the national level more than the creation of substantially new policy content. Further, the spatial paradigms inherent in the Silk Roads vision reveal the reproduction of capitalist developmental ideas expressed particularly in the form of networks, which themselves have become a feature of contemporary global political economy. In other words, the Silk Roads vision is more of a ‘spatial fix’ than a geopolitical manoeuvre. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers opportunities for governments to address key education challenges of quality, equity, and efficiency. While governments and educational institutions in developed countries may have taken up these opportunities, many developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region have often missed them out. This may be due to countries' socioeconomic settings, approaches towards design and implementation of the ICT in education plan, and investment on research and development of ICT in education. This paper explores the current challenges of education in Asia and the Pacific and explains how these challenges may be overcome by the strategic use of ICTs when a holistic approach towards ICT in education is adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Out of pocket payments are the predominant method of financing healthcare in many developing countries, which can result in impoverishment and financial catastrophe for those affected. In 2010, WHO estimated that approximately 100 million people are pushed below the poverty line each year by payments for healthcare. Micro health insurance (MHI) has been used in some countries as means of risk pooling and reducing out of pocket health expenditure. A systematic review was conducted to assess the extent to which MHI has contributed to providing financial risk protection to low-income households in developing countries, and suggest how the findings can be applied in the Pakistani setting.Methods: We conducted a systematic search for published literature using the search terms "Community based health insurance AND developing countries", "Micro health insurance AND developing countries", "Mutual health insurance AND developing countries", "mutual OR micro OR community based health insurance" "Health insurance AND impact AND poor" "Health insurance AND financial protection" and "mutual health organizations" on three databases, Pubmed, Google Scholar and Science Direct (Elsevier). Only those records that were published in the last ten years, in English language with their full texts available free of cost, were considered for inclusion in this review. Hand searching was carried out on the reference lists of the retrieved articles and webpages of international organizations like World Bank, World Health Organization and International Labour Organization.Results: Twenty-three articles were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review (14 from Asia and 9 from Africa). Our analysis shows that MHI, in the majority of cases, has been found to contribute to the financial protection of its beneficiaries, by reducing out of pocket health expenditure, catastrophic health expenditure, total health expenditure, household borrowings and poverty. MHI also had a positive safeguarding effect on household savings, assets and consumption patterns.Conclusion: Our review suggests that MHI, targeted at the low-income households and tailored to suit the cultural and geographical structures in the various areas of Pakistan, may contribute towards providing protection to the households from catastrophe and impoverishment resulting from health expenditures. This paper emphasizes the need for further research to fill the knowledge gap that exists about the impact of MHI, using robust study designs and impact indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectacular economic success of the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICS) of Asia since the 1960s, has led to the quest to identify other less developed countries which may be just about to become the next NICS of Asia. This paper examines the arguments for and against the view that there is a "second tier" of less developed countries which are about to join the ranks of the Asian NICS. While Malaysia and Thailand are generally thought to be the most likely candidates, this paper argues that one hitherto unrecognised contender. China, is likely to join these countries in achieving NIC status. This paper examines the question of whether there are likely to be more Newly Industrializing Countries (NICS) emerging over time, following in the footsteps of the original four in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan). While some writers suggest that several developing countries are about to achieve NIC status in the near future, others argue that world trading conditions have deteriorated to such an extent as to make this very unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The object of this paper is to suggest a theoretical approach to the study of social development in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Social development is regarded here as a radical transformation of economy and society, and as something which must be assessed in primarily human terms. After a critical examination of some conventional theories of modernization and social change, the paper goes on to suggest that a fruitful line of research is to view development as fundamental structural change. This would involve examination of social structural features in a society which encourage or hinder social development. Finally, specific empirical research is to be directed to identify agents as well as obstacles to social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As many challenges exist for access to diabetes care in developing countries, the International Insulin Foundation developed a Rapid Assessment tool and implemented this approach to identify barriers to care and propose concrete recommendations for decision makers. The objective of this paper is to identify the factors that contributed to informing and influencing policymakers with regards to this work.Methods: A documentary review comprised Stage 1. Stage 2 used an online questionnaire to gain insight from users of the Rapid Assessment results. Based on Stages 1 and 2, Stage 3 comprised in-depth interviews with a total of nine individuals (one individual each from the six participating countries; two individuals from the World Health Organization; one "Global Diabetes Advocate"). Interviews were analyzed based on a list of themes developed from Stage 2.Results: Stage 1 led to the identification of various types of documents referring to the results. The online questionnaire had a response rate of 33%. Respondents directly involved in the assessment had a "Good" or "Very Good" appreciation of most aspects and scored these higher than those not directly involved. From the interviews, formalized methods and close collaboration between the international team and local partners were strengths. Trust and a relationship with local partners were also seen as assets. All stakeholders valued the results and the credibility of the data generated. Local partners felt that more could have been done for dissemination.Conclusion: This study shows the importance of specific results from the different assessments. In addressing complex issues having external experts involved was seen as an advantage. The uptake of results was due to the credibility of the research which was influenced by a mix of the people involved, past assessments, trusted local partners, and the use of the results by knowledge brokers, such as the World Health Organization. Through these brokers, others gained ownership of the data. The methods used and the fact that this data was grounded in a local context also reinforced its value. Despite limitations, this study offers a unique perspective where a similar research approach was taken in six countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Not all foreign direct investment (FDI) is alike as far as its impact on various dimensions of human development is concerned. This paper focuses, in particular, on child labor and it undertakes a cross-country empirical analysis of this issue, using data on 100 countries spanning the period 1990–2009. Unlike earlier studies that focus mostly on total FDI, we also utilize data on disaggregated FDI, covering the main economic sectors of interest such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, services, and finance. The empirical results suggest that different economic sectors generate varied effects on child labor. For instance, FDI in agriculture in Europe and Central Asia tends to exacerbate child labor, whereas FDI in manufacturing in South and East Asia and FDI in mining in Latin America appear negatively linked to child labor. Furthermore, signing on to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is positively associated with child labor. One possible explanation for the latter result is that stronger anti-child labor laws could lead to multiple equilibria in labor markets, including the possibility of increasing child labor in certain sectors. Selected case studies help clarify the possible reasons behind this varied FDI impact on child labor, emphasizing among other factors supply chain management and the critical importance of policy implementation and coordination with the private sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The dramatic rise in childhood obesity incidence in developing countries is related to nutrition and lifestyle transition. The aim of this review was to evaluate the quality and reporting of dietary assessment methods used in studies examining the relationship between dietary outcome and childhood obesity in developing Asian countries. Methods A three-step search strategy was conducted in databases between inception and 2011 with an English language restriction. Inclusion criteria were any cross-sectional or cohort studies in children ≤18 years who resided in developing countries in Asian region that included reporting on dietary intake. Papers were screened with standardised tools for quality and dietary methodology reporting. Results The search process identified 2080 studies and 15 studies (in 16 articles) met inclusion criteria. The most commonly used dietary assessment method was dietary questionnaires (n = 10), followed by 24-hour diet recall (n = 4), food frequency questionnaire (n = 3) and an unweighed food record (n = 1). For dietary methodology reporting, 12 out of 16 articles were rated as 'poor', 3 rated as 'acceptable' and 1 as 'excellent'. Conclusions The quality rating was influenced by the dietary assessment tool chosen, and a quality rating of 'poor' was mostly obtained by studies using non-standardised, non-validated study-specific dietary questionnaires. Significant gaps were identified in dietary intake methodological quality and hence, there is an urgent need for valid dietary measures and reporting of dietary intake among overweight children for studies conducted in Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Open dumping is the most common practice for the disposal of urban solid wastes in the least developed regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Sanitary landfill design and operation has traditionally focused on large cities, but cities with fewer than 50,000 in population can comprise from 6% to 45% of a given country’s total population. These thousands of small cities cannot afford to operate a sanitary landfill in the way it is proposed for large cities, where heavy equipment is used to spread and compact the waste in daily cells, and then to excavate, transport and apply daily cover, and leachate is managed with collection and treatment systems. This paper presents an alternative approach for small cities, known as the semi-mechanized trench method, which was developed in Villanueva, Honduras. In the semi-mechanized trench method a hydraulic excavator is used for 1–3days to dig a trench that will last at least a month before it is filled with waste. Trucks can easily unload their wastes into the trench, and the wastes compact naturally due to semi-aerobic biodegradation, after which the trenches are refilled and covered. The exposed surface area is minimal since only the top surface of the wastes is exposed, the remainder being covered by the sides and bottom of the trench. The surplus material from trench excavation can be valorized for use as engineering fill onsite or off. The landfill in Villanueva has operated for 15years, using a total land area of approximately 11ha for a population that grew from 23,000 to 48,000, with a land requirement of 0.2m2/personyear, a cover to waste ratio of 0.2, and an estimated soil surplus of 298,000m3 that is valorized and used onsite. The landfill has been operated solely by the municipality with an operational cost in 2010 estimated at US$4.60 per ton. A modified water balance analysis at Villanueva shows negligible leachate generation from covered trenches and 700m3/yr (60m3/hayr) from the two open trenches required for daily operation. If the site were an open dump, however, leachate generation is estimated to be 3900m3/hayr and contaminated runoff 5000m3/hayr. A simple model used to estimate dilution of generated leachate based on groundwater flow data and aquifer stratigraphy suggests that the leachate will be diluted by a factor of 0.01 in the aquifer. Leachate contaminants will not accumulate because the aquifer discharges to the Ulua River 2km south of the landfill. While not suitable for all sites, the Villanueva method nevertheless serves as an excellent example of how a small city landfill with natural compaction of waste and attenuation of leachate can be sustainably operated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The basic premise of this paper is that the problem in the agency-social structure or subject-social structure relationship is crucial for understanding the present stage of take-off in the new phase of development or capitalism of knowledge following the recent global crisis of 2007-2009. This expresses the contradiction between neoliberalism, as a political-ideological projection, and a new technological-productive base, as well as the question of differentiation between developed "successful" countries and those that are "backward". Institutionalism and Gramsci's Marxism have offered solutions to the agency-structure dichotomy through very different theoretical approaches, the first seeking to explain the issue of differentiation between countries. Aspects of an alternative explanation are provided here through the Gramscian solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A social franchise in health is a network of for-profit private health practitioners linked through contracts to provide socially beneficial services under a common brand. The early 21st century has seen considerable donor enthusiasm for promoting social franchises for the provision of reproductive health services. Based on a compendium of descriptive information on 45 clinical social franchises, located in 27 countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, this paper examines their contribution to universal access to comprehensive reproductive health services. It finds that these franchises have not widened the range of reproductive health services, but have mainly focused on contraceptive services, and to a lesser extent, maternal health care and abortion. In many instances, coverage had not been extended to new areas. Measures taken to ensure sustainability ran counter to the objective of access for low-income groups. In almost two-thirds of the franchises, the full cost of all services had to be paid out of pocket and was unaffordable for low-income women. While standards and protocols for quality assurance were in place in all franchises, evidence on adherence to these was limited. Informal interviews with patients indicated satisfaction with services. However, factors such as difficulties in recruiting franchisees and significant attrition, franchisees' inability to attend training programmes, use of lay health workers to deliver services without support or supervision, and logistical problems with applying quality assurance tools, all raise concerns. The contribution of social franchises to universal access to reproductive health services appears to be uncertain. Continued investment in them for the provision of reproductive health services does not appear to be justified until and unless further evidence of their value is forthcoming. Dans la santé, une franchise sociale est un réseau de praticiens privés à but lucratif tenus par contrat d'assurer des services socialement bénéfiques sous une même marque. Au début du XXIe siècle, les donateurs ont encouragé avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme les franchises sociales pour les services de santé génésique. Se fondant sur un recueil d'informations descriptives relatives à 45 franchises sociales cliniques, situées dans 27 pays d'Afrique, d'Asie et d'Amérique latine, cet article examine leur contribution à l'accès universel à des services globaux de santé génésique. Il révèle que ces franchises n'ont pas élargi l'éventail de services de santé génésique, mais se sont principalement centrées sur la contraception et, dans une moindre mesure, les soins maternels et l'avortement. Dans de nombreux cas, la couverture n'avait pas été étendue à de nouvelles zones. Les mesures prises pour garantir la viabilité vont à l'encontre de l'objectif d'accès des groupes à faible revenu. Dans près des deux tiers des franchises, le coût total de l'ensemble des services devait être payé par les patients et était inabordable pour les femmes à faible revenu. Les normes et les protocoles d'assurance qualité étaient en place dans toutes les franchises, mais on dispose de données limitées sur leur observance. Des entretiens informels avec des patients ont indiqué qu'ils étaient satisfaits des services. Néanmoins, les difficultés pour recruter des franchisés et une certaine usure, l'incapacité des franchisés de suivre des programmes de formation, l'utilisation d'agents de santé profanes pour assurer des services sans soutien ni supervision et des problèmes logistiques pour appliquer les outils d'assurance qualité sont autant de facteurs préoccupants. La contribution des franchises sociales à l'accès universel aux services de santé génésique paraît incertaine. Il ne semble pas justifié de continuer d'investir en leur faveur pour la prestation de services de santé génésique, à moins que de nouvelles données ne prouvent leur utilité. Una franquicia social en salud es una red de profesionales de la salud particulares con fines de lucro, vinculados mediante contratos para ofrecer servicios de beneficio social bajo una marca en común. A principios del siglo XXI se ha visto un considerable entusiasmo por parte de donantes para promover las franquicias sociales para la prestación de servicios de salud reproductiva. Basado en un compendio de información descriptiva sobre 45 franquicias sociales clínicas, situadas en 27 países de Ãfrica, Asia y Latinoamérica, este artículo examina su contribución al acceso universal a los servicios integrales de salud reproductiva. Se encontró que estas franquicias no han ampliado la gama de servicios de salud reproductiva, sino que se han centrado principalmente en servicios de anticoncepción y, a menor grado, en servicios de salud materna y de aborto. En muchos casos, no se había extendido la cobertura a nuevas áreas. Las medidas tomadas para garantizar sostenibilidad eran contrarias al objetivo de acceso para grupos de bajos ingresos. En casi dos terceras partes de las franquicias, las pacientes tuvieron que pagar el costo total de todos los servicios, inasequible para mujeres de bajos ingresos. Aunque todas las franquicias habían establecido normas y protocolos para garantizar la calidad, había limitada evidencia de su cumplimiento. Las entrevistas informales con pacientes indicaron satisfacción con los servicios. No obstante, preocupan factores como las dificultades en reclutar franquiciados y una considerable amortización de puestos de trabajo, la imposibilidad de los franquiciados de asistir a programas de capacitación, el uso de trabajadores de la salud laicos para proporcionar servicios sin apoyo o supervisión, y los problemas logísticos aplicando las herramientas de garantía de la calidad. La contribución de franquicias sociales al acceso universal a los servicios de salud reproductiva parece ser incierta. A menos que surja más evidencia de su valor, no se justifica continuar invirtiendo en ellas para la prestación de servicios de salud reproductiva. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives an overview of the global commercialised market in assisted reproduction treatment in low-resource countries in Asia and raises concerns about access and equity, the potential commercial exploitation of the bodies of subaltern women to service the demand for donated ova and surrogate pregnancy, and the need for protections through regulations. A lack of systematic data about cross-border reproductive care is a significant obstacle to debate and policy intervention. Little is known about the extent, experience or conditions of cross-border reproductive care outside of Europe and the United States. Further research is needed in Asia on the local effects of this trade upon local health systems, couples seeking care, and those women whose body tissues and nurturing capacities facilitate it. More attention needs to be paid to the provision of publicly funded reproductive health services to address the inequitable distribution of treatment and to investigate means to regulate this trade by governments, international NGOs, professional organisations and civil society groups in developing countries. The global trade in assisted reproduction challenges us to balance the rights of individuals to pursue health care across national borders with the rights of those providing services to meet their needs, especially vulnerable groups in situations of economic disparity. Cet article donne un aperçu du marché mondial de la procréation médicalement assistée dans les pays à faibles ressources d'Asie. Il s'inquiète de l'accès et l'équité, la potentielle exploitation commerciale du corps des femmes subalternes qui satisfont la demande de dons d'ovules et de mères porteuses, et la nécessité de réglementations de protection. Un manque de données systématiques sur les soins génésiques transfrontaliers est un obstacle majeur au débat et aux interventions politiques. On sait peu de choses de l'étendue, de l'expérience ou des conditions des soins génésiques transfrontaliers hors de l'Europe et des États-Unis. De nouvelles recherches sont nécessaires en Asie sur les conséquences de ce commerce sur les systèmes locaux de santé, les couples demandant des soins, et les femmes dont les tissus corporels et les capacités porteuses les facilitent. Il faut accorder davantage d'attention à la prestation de services de santé génésique financés par les pouvoirs publics pour corriger la répartition inéquitable des traitements et prospecter des moyens de faire réguler ce commerce par les gouvernements, les ONG internationales, les organisations professionnelles et les groupes de la société civile dans les pays en développement. Le commerce mondial en procréation assistée nous met au défi de concilier les droits des individus à rechercher des soins de santé à travers les frontières avec les droits de ceux qui assurent des services pour répondre à ces besoins, en particulier les groupes vulnérables se trouvant dans une situation de disparité économique. En este artículo se expone una visión general del mercado comercializado internacional en el tratamiento de reproducción asistida en países asiáticos de bajos recursos, y se plantean inquietudes en cuanto al acceso y la equidad, la posible explotación comercial del cuerpo de mujeres subalternas para atender la demanda de óvulos donados y maternidad subrogada y la necesidad de protecciones mediante reglamentos. La falta de datos sistemáticos sobre el turismo reproductivo es un obstáculo significativo para el debate y la intervención de políticas. No se sabe mucho acerca del alcance, la experiencia o las condiciones del turismo reproductivo fuera de Europa y Estados Unidos. Aún es necesario realizar más investigaciones en Asia sobre los efectos de este comercio en los sistemas de salud locales, en parejas que buscan atención médica, y en aquellas mujeres cuyo cuerpo y capacidad para nutrir lo facilitan. Se debe prestar más atención a la prestación de servicios de salud reproductiva financiados públicamente, a fin de eliminar la injusta distribución de tratamiento e investigar los medios para la regulación de este comercio por gobiernos, ONG internacionales, organizaciones profesionales y grupos de la sociedad civil en países en desarrollo. El comercio mundial en reproducción asistida nos reta a sopesar los derechos de las personas de buscar servicios de salud en otros países y los derechos de los prestadores de servicios de atender sus necesidades, especialmente grupos vulnerables en situaciones de disparidad económica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Economic regulation is being introduced into the water services sector in developing economies, where widespread poverty and service inadequacies affect regulatory rationales. This paper analyzes the regulatory experience in 11 metropolitan areas with respect to the challenge of reaching all urban consumers, particularly the poor. Case study evidence suggests that pro-poor regulatory outcomes have been constrained by inadequate framework conditions and a limited understanding of alternative providers. In many cases regulatory governance has been equally vulnerable, although some regulators have demonstrated a capacity and willingness to achieve a balance between the social and financial objectives of water service regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper studies the product cycle and neo-technology theories of trade in the context of generic pharmaceuticals. It analyzes the export performance of 131 Indian pharmaceutical firms for the period 1989–2004. The results indicate that technology proxied by foreign patent rights has a positive impact on exports. This suggests that developing countries with innovation skills for process innovations are capable of penetrating international markets in the later stages of the product cycle by using patents, which were the barriers to trade in the early stages of the product cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]