Copyright © 2016. Inter-American Development Bank. For permission to republish this article, please contact sph-communication@iadb.org. By Rita Sorio and Patricia Jara An overwhelming majority of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are experiencing a rapid graying of the population, with many people entering old age in poverty and poor health. … [Read more...] about How Do We Set Policies on Dependent Care?
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
Professional Midwives to the Rescue
By Marcella Distrutti. Evidence shows that institutional delivery is positively associated with reductions in maternal mortality rates, still considered a multi-factorial health challenge in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nevertheless, having all births attended by professionals in hospitals does not guarantee a high quality of care and, as a consequence, low figures of … [Read more...] about Professional Midwives to the Rescue
300+ Economists around the World ask for “Health for All”
by Ferdinando Regalia There is an old joke that if you ask five economists the same question, you will get six answers in return. Like most jokes (even bad ones), this quip’s value lies in its discovery of a basic truth—getting economists to agree on anything can be quite difficult. … [Read more...] about 300+ Economists around the World ask for “Health for All”
Health Investment Benefits Economic Growth
by Trevor Gunn. Would you believe if I told you that investing in health is profitable for governments? We know that country expenditures on health are widely considered to be an economic drag, as well as a “debit” for the broader economy and for economic growth. Despite these popular notions, an increasing amount of trends and evidence points in the reverse direction- … [Read more...] about Health Investment Benefits Economic Growth
Why We Need a Statistical Revolution
by Mark van der Laan. My father told me the most important thing about solving a problem is to formulate it accurately, and one would think that, as statisticians, most of us would agree with that advice. Suppose we were to build a spaceship that can fly to Mars and return safely to Earth. … [Read more...] about Why We Need a Statistical Revolution