More than three-fourths of the world's population live in so-called developing countries: nations that may not have a stable economy, energy supply, or advanced technology, and whose population may lack access to jobs, food, water, education, health care, and housing. RAND takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the problems facing developing countries and recommends policy solutions for global, national, and local economies.
PROJECT
Conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) are seen as particularly effective in low- and middle-income countries, but relatively little is known about the interface between the supply of services and program administration and specific human development outcomes. RAND Europe is assessing the effectiveness of CCTs, through a two-year grant from UK Economic Social Research Council and Department for International Development.
PROJECT
The performance of health systems is a key determinant of the inclusiveness of economic growth. With Kenya and Tanzania as case studies, RAND Europe is exploring whether potential synergies between industrial development and health systems can contribute to faster and more inclusive growth.
COMMENTARY
"Why Nations Fail" is a sweeping attempt to explain the gut-wrenching poverty that leaves 1.29 billion people in the developing world struggling to live on less than $1.25 a day. You might expect it to be a bleak, numbing read. It's not. It's bracing, garrulous, wildly ambitious and ultimately hopeful, writes Warren Bass.
NEWS RELEASE
The Development Portfolio Management Group, a group providing independent review and counsel to international aid projects in developing countries, has joined the RAND Corporation. Joining nonprofit RAND will allow the group to assist a wider array of projects, including those funded by governments of developing countries, bi-lateral donors, regional development banks, and foundations.
PROJECT
RAND Europe is working to capture a broader view of malaria's impacts on the economy and to estimate the potential effects that reduced malaria could have over time on consumption inequality, poverty, and dynamic growth.
PROJECT
Understanding the factors influencing economic growth and development is crucial to enhancing the human welfare of a nation. Research and Policy in International Development (RAPID) is a research center committed to fulfilling this objective.
REPORT
This report explores the impact of information and communication technologies in the Middle East and North Africa region. It provides a series of analyses and inputs to the World Bank that intended to help frame their thinking about ICT use in MENA.
REPORT
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are common and rising in the developing world, but access to treatment remains limited. An analysis of the obstacles to treatment finds realistic areas for improvement and ideas the pharmaceutical industry could focus on as it develops its NCD policy research program.
REPORT
This book examines six case studies of insurgencies from around the world to determine the key factors necessary for a successful transition from counterinsurgency to a more stable situation. The authors review the causes of each insurgency and the key players involved, and examine what the government did right — or wrong — to bring the insurgency to an end and to transition to greater stability.
MULTIMEDIA
On August 26, 2010, the RAND Corporation presented Mumbai Rising? as part of its public outreach series in Santa Monica, California. Economist Krishna B. Kumar discussed India's impact on the global economy and the implications of India's economic rise for the United States.
COMMENTARY
Policies to stimulate African development require evidence that is difficult to obtain using existing indicators, writes Watu Wamae.
REPORT
This report presents findings from a study of health innovations transferred from South to North. This briefing examines technologies developed for developing country settings, which may have an application in the UK National Health Service.
REPORT
An assessment of likely demographic and economic challenges in the Arab world through 2020—such as population growth rates and continued global oil production—provides a better-informed platform on which to build U.S. defense planning and policy.
REPORT
Unstable and violent political environments often give rise to a range of complex problems for peaceful development. RAND Europe reviewed the state of the art in monitoring and evaluation in stabilization environments and found ways to improve practice.
PROJECT
The Wellcome Trust's African Institutions Initiative funds consortia to build sustainable, independent health research capacity at African universities and research organisations. RAND Europe is evaluating the consortia's efforts to promote research collaboration and train individuals for research careers in Africa.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Since most poor women deliver at home in developing countries, efforts to reduce maternal deaths should prioritize community-based interventions aimed at making home births safer.
PROJECT
Many cash transfer programmes designate women and mothers as transfer recipients, on the assumption that doing so will lead to better outcomes. RAND Europe is undertaking a systematic review for the UK Department for International Development to assess whether transferring cash to women rather than men in low- and middle-income countries has a greater impact on household well-being.
MULTIMEDIA
RAND Senior Economist Keith Crane and RAND Senior Political Scientist Laurel Miller discuss developing a Haitian state-building strategy. They identify the main challenges to more capable governance and suggest ways the influx of aid money can be used for long-term improvements, as well as offer other insights from their latest report, Building a More Resilient Haitian State.
NEWS RELEASE
August 13, 2010 news release: Haiti's future prosperity and peace depend on its ability to build a more resilient state, one capable of providing public services like education and health care as well as responding effectively to natural disasters.
REPORT
Haiti's future prosperity and peace depend on its ability to build a more resilient state, one capable of providing public services like education and health care as well as responding effectively to natural disasters.
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