Chile has developed several pharmaceutical policies during the last 10 years, aiming at improving the access of medicines. One of the most important policies implemented in 2014 was the generic substitution policy, which was designed to increase market competition by regulating the substitution of generic products for originator medicines. After three years of this policy, […]
It has been over 20 years since Taiwan’s implementation of its National Health Insurance (NHI) program. Under this program, the health insurance coverage rate has reached approximately 99 percent of the population – a significant improvement from 57 percent coverage prior to the NHI implementation. However, the Taiwan healthcare system continues to face major challenges. […]
In 2017, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) continued to strengthen economic ties with China, especially with respect to trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) in extraction, infrastructure and to a lesser extent, manufacturing activities. Conversely, Chinese policy banks gave fewer loans to Latin American governments, according to the China-Latin America Finance Database, jointly administered […]
The South African national HIV program has achieved substantial antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage over the last decade, reaching 56 percent of all human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)– infected people in 2016. As ART scale-up continues, it is anticipated that increased access to treatment and reduced stigma will lead to treatment initiation earlier in HIV infection. Studies […]
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is highly effective in reducing HIV transmission from infected individuals to their non-infected partners. The landmark HPTN052 trial demonstrated a 96 percent reduction in linked HIV transmissions in couples who immediately initiated ART compared with deferred ART initiation. Early initiation of ART results in rapid and sustained viral suppression over time, whereas […]
A common argument for renewable energy is that it leads to job creation in the country or region where it is located. Yet this clean-energy boost to local employment could be at risk under World Trade Organization (WTO) rulings that prohibit favoritism for local producers. In a working paper for the Working Group on Trade, […]
In an effort to address chronic inequality, air pollution, and climate change in an integrative manner, many nations have deployed Local Content Requirements (LCRs). In the five years following the 2008 Financial Crisis, twenty such policies were put in place all over the world. These policies are justified on both economic and political grounds—by correcting […]
By Kevin P. Gallagher and Yuan Tian. Review of Development Finance, June 2017. Read the paper
The 2008 Global Financial Crisis and subsequent financial turbulence has triggered economists and policymakers to revisit the extent to which capital account liberalization is optimal for all countries at all levels of development. Liberalization is a positive step for financial development as it can increase risk-sharing within the domestic economy and smooth out domestic consumption, […]
Occupational segregation, defined as the tendency of men and women to work in different professions, continues to be a strong feature in labor markets around the world and has been widely found to contribute to gender wage differences. This trend highlights the importance of understanding the causes and consequences of differences in employment distributions by […]