Document Library
The document library features summaries and links to editorially-selected publications on the key themes of health, education, nutrition, social protection and WASH. The documents are sourced from academic research, policy papers and global development organisations.
Community participation is often described as a key for primary health care in low-income countries. Recent performance-based financing (PBF) initiatives have renewed the interest in this strategy by questioning the accountability of those in charge at the health centre (HC) level. This research analyses the place of two downward accountability mechanisms in a PBF scheme:… Read more
Learning profiles that track changes in student skills per year of schooling often find shockingly low learning gains. Using data from three recent studies in South Asia and Africa, the authors show that a majority of students spend years of instruction with no progress on basics. Shallow learning profiles are in part the result of… Read more
This report focuses on one of the major barriers to education girls face: gender-based violence – sexual, physical and psychological – in and around schools. Girls are vulnerable to rape, exploitation, coercion and discrimination perpetrated by students and teachers. ‘A girl’s right to learn without fear’ looks at the issues and presents solutions which are… Read more
Ethiopia offers a case study in the development of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in low-resource settings, which needs to be understood in the context of recent government priorities to universalise primary education, and low levels of ECCE offered mainly by private and faith-based providers. In 2010, the Ethiopian government designed a national framework… Read more
Private sector healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries is sometimes argued to be more efficient, accountable, and sustainable than public sector delivery. Conversely, the public sector is often regarded as providing more equitable and evidence-based care. The authors performed a systematic review of research studies investigating the performance of private and public sector delivery… Read more
A better understanding of the relationship between HIV and human mobility in southern Africa is essential for the development of appropriate measures for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support to reduce HIV vulnerability among host communities as well as migrant communities. The aim of this document was to identify, assess and document emerging best practices… Read more