UNWTO World Tourism Organization [to 17 January 2015]
http://media.unwto.org/news

UN General Assembly: Sustainable tourism is a tool for poverty reduction and environmental protection
14 January 2015
A milestone resolution recognizing the contribution of sustainable tourism to poverty eradication, community development and the protection of biodiversity has been adopted by consensus by the United Nations General Assembly.

DFID [to 17 January 2015]
https://www.gov.uk/government/latest?departments%5B%5D=department-for-international-development

Funding for development research
Updated 14 January 2015
Detailed guide DFID
Overview
This page is aimed at organisations and researchers looking for information on funding opportunities in development research. It lists in date order a selection of current calls with a research, evidence or evaluation theme which are being run by DFID or by our programme partners. If you are interested in working for DFID you should also look at our supplier portal.
– Royal Society-DFID Africa Capacity Building Initiative
– Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW): Call for research proposals
– Changes in the arid and semi-arid lands in East Africa: evidence synthesis and data mapping on poverty, vulnerability, livelihoods and resilience.
– Ensuring debt sustainability in developing countries through productive expenditure
– Health Systems Research Initiative Call 2
– ESRC/DFID Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research Outline Research Grants Call 2014/15

The African Development Bank Group [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

AfDB partnership with CSOs to spur development in Africa
15/01/2015
A committee comprising the African Development Bank and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has been relaunched with the aim of fostering partnership between the two players in order to enhance development on the continent.

The committee, reintroduced at a two-day meeting between the Bank and CSOs will discuss a work plan, modalities of its implementation as well as an accountability structure. “CSOs are our integral partners especially in the promotion of accountability, transparency and good governance. Accountability is key in terms of achieving our objective, and we could certainly do with an external reporting tool especially from CSOs,” Rakesh Nangia, Chair of the committee, said as he opened the meeting on January 14 at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Addressing the participants, who included regional civil society heads and representatives of key sectors within the Bank, he reiterated the importance of strengthening engagement with CSOs. “The Bank recognizes and values the expertise and contributions of CSOs, which are essential in achieving sustainable development in Africa,” said Nangia, who is also the Evaluator General of the Bank’s Independent Development Evaluation department (IDEV).

His remarks were echoed by Mamadou Goita, Chair of the Civil Society Coalition, who described the role of civil society as crucial in helping the Bank to frame projects that would be more relevant to communities. “We need to be involved from the first stage of designing a project because we know the context of our various communities. We can then help follow through to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages,” Goita said…

IMF [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx

Three “Rosetta Moments” for the Global Economy in 2015
by Christine Lagarde
Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Speech before the Council on Foreign Relations
Washington D.C.—January 15, 2015
[Excerpt]
…this year the global economy will face what we might call three “Rosetta moments”. These are major policy challenges that require decisions based on political courage, decisive action, and multilateral thinking—in short, true global leadership.
The first Rosetta moment is all about boosting growth and employment in the next 12 months – overcoming that “strong headwind” that I mentioned. The second Rosetta moment is about achieving more inclusive, shared growth; and the third is about attaining more sustainable, balanced growth….
Webcast of the Speech

Amref Health Africa [to 17 January 2015]
http://amref.org/news/news/

President launches Amref Flying Doctors Emergency Service for Civil Servants
[Undated]
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta this morning launched emergency air rescue and ground ambulance services to be provided by Amref Flying Doctors for civil servants and members of the disciplined forces.

The event was held at the Amref Flying Doctors (AFD) hangar at the Wilson Airport in Nairobi. The emergency services are part of an enhanced medical insurance package offered by the National Health Insurance Fund to civil servants and the disciplined forces across the country.

Those who received the President included interim Amref Health Africa CEO Dr Lennie Kyomuhangi-Bazira and Amref Flying Doctors CEO Dr Bettina Vadera. Dr Vadera gave the President a tour of an Amref Flying Doctors plane and also showed him one of the ground ambulances used by AFD for evacuations…

Handicap International [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.handicap-international.org/

January 15, 2015
GAZA: bombs under the rubble
A new Handicap International report, “Bombs under the rubble,” evaluates the Gazan population’s awareness of the presence of explosive remnants of war. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) estimates that there are at least 7,000 unexploded devices and munitions, mainly mixed in with the rubble, following the conflict between July 7 and August 26, 2014. According to the report, almost half of the people interviewed reported feelings of fear on a daily basis due to the presence of bombs. A total of 45% had benefited from education about awareness-raising actions.

“Bombs under the rubble,” found that 47% of people interviewed in Gaza considered explosive remnants to be a constant cause for concern in their daily lives. Forty-five percent had received training about the risks posed by explosive remnants of war, which include different types of unexploded devices — weapons which remain in place after an armed conflict ends (eg, grenades, shells, rockets and cluster munitions). However, the report also reveals significant shortcomings. While 70% of respondents know how to report an explosive remnant of war, only 29% have actually done so….
To read the entire report, please click here: Bombs Under the Rubble

ICRC – International Committee of the Red Cross [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/index.jsp

Lebanon: Caring for people fleeing conflict brings increasing challenges for hosts
News release
14 January 2015
The increasing economic hardship of families caring for refugees in Lebanon has come into sharp focus in recent days. Over a million people have fled the conflict in Syria, including Palestinians from Syria and Lebanese returnees. Thousands of Syrian families and others living in flimsy shelters are enduring misery in the Lebanese mountains. Public services and infrastructure are struggling to cope.

Niger: Massive food-aid project for people fleeing conflict in Nigeria
News release
13 January 2015
Over the past three months, more than 25,000 people (residents, displaced people and returnees) have been aided by the ICRC, which worked closely with the Red Cross Society of Niger to deliver food aid for nearly 45,000 individuals in 2014. Of these, some 11,000 also received essential household items (blankets, tarpaulins, mosquito nets, mats, clothes and kitchen utensils).

OXFAM [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

Rising Inequality in the Global South: Practice and Solutions
13 January 2015
Inequality is spiralling out of control, but consensus on how to address it is gathering pace. Following on from the success of last year’s symposium about Africa’s extractives industry and illicit financial flows, Oxfam and the University of Oxford are coming together again to examine the causes and consequences of uneven economic growth and rising inequality in the global South, while assessing policy solutions and charting a way forward for equity, democracy and social stability.

Partners In Health [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.pih.org/

Jan 16, 2015
Haiti’s Next Generation of Doctors Reflect
Two medical residents reflect on Haiti five years after the earthquake.

Recruiting Ebola Survivors in Sierra Leone
January 14, 2015
PIH has hired more than 400 Ebola survivors across Sierra Leone and Liberia to date, and is working daily to stop the spread of the virus while building strong health systems that prevent against future epidemics. Learn more about our work in West Africa.

Jan 13, 2015
Post-Earthquake Haiti: ‘Always there is Opportunity’
Dr. Ralph Ternier is director of community care and support at Zanmi Lasante, Partners In Health’s sister organization in Haiti. He reflects on his experiences during the country’s earthquake in 2010—and the five years since. Read More ▸

Jan 12, 2015
Haiti: Rehab Helps Patients Regain Independence
Partners In Health’s rehab program at University Hospital in Haiti has expanded since the 2010 earthquake, helping hundreds of people with physical disabilities and other diagnoses. Read

SOS-Kinderdorf International [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/about-sos/press/press-releases

Les Cayes, Haiti: Inauguration of new SOS Children’s Village and school mark 5-year earthquake anniversary
12 January 2015
On five-year anniversary of the terrible earthquake that killed more than 200,000 in Haiti, SOS Children’s Villages weighs progress of recovery and inaugurates new school and Children’s Village.

Global Fund [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/mediacenter/

Press releases
:: South African HIV Program on Rights of Sex Workers
12 January 2015
The South African National AIDS Council said that a long-awaited HIV program catering specifically to the needs of sex workers – 60 percent of whom are estimated to be living with HIV – became firmly established during the course of 2014.

The program aims to reduce transmission of HIV to sex workers and their clients, ensure good access to social services and healthcare for sex workers, and tackle human rights abuses that make sex workers exceptionally vulnerable to HIV infection.

Details of the initiative were presented to the media and public for the first time today at an event held in Newtown, Johannesburg.
“The introduction of a national HIV programme for sex workers finally plugs a gaping hole in our country’s response to the epidemic,” said Dr. Fareed Abdullah, CEO of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC.)

“General HIV services simply do not meet the special needs of sex workers,” said Dr. Abdullah. “Their work exposes sex workers to hugely increased risk of infection.

“It is not only a question of having a large number of sex partners, many of whom demand unprotected sex. Sex work is often dangerous and lonely. It is illegal in this country and carries a heavy social stigma. An exceptional program is needed to provide effective HIV services to sex workers and fulfil their right – along with all South Africans – to receive healthcare.”

Start Network [Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies] [to 17 January 2015]
http://www.start-network.org/news-blog/#.U9U_O7FR98E

Start to trial new Parametric Insurance model with HIF funding
January 14, 2015
Posted by Tegan Rogers
The Start Network and GlobalAgRisk will work together to develop a prototype for a Parametric Insurance product with funding from the Humanitarian Innovation Fund. The intention is to design a drought insurance product which will enable automatic pay-outs for early response to major food crises by civil society actors.

Despite widespread advances in early warning systems for major droughts, NGOs often struggle to put in place preventative measures because of their restrictive funding model. This funding model is dependent on media headlines generating public interest before major donors are mobilised to support a response. At this stage many lives have already been lost, livelihoods destroyed and hard-won development gains undermined. Early, preventative action in such situations has been found to be far more effective.

Parametric insurance is similar to normal insurance, in that in return for a yearly premium (calculated by expected frequency and severity of an event) a pay-out is received if the event takes place. However a key difference is that instead of making payments on the basis of losses measured after an event, it makes the payments automatically based on pre-agreed triggers. This means that there is no arguing about the amount of damage, and that the pay-outs are predictable. Better still, the triggers can be predictive, so you can receive pay-outs before an event actually occurs, in what is known as an ex-ante payment…

BMC Medical Ethics
(Accessed 17 January 2015)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content

Research article
Dealing with ethical challenges: a focus group study with professionals in mental health care
Bert Molewijk, Marit Helene Hem, Reidar Pedersen BMC Medical Ethics 2015, 16:4 (16 January 2015)

Debate
Informed consent for HIV cure research in South Africa: issues to consider
Ciara Staunton BMC Medical Ethics 2015, 16:3 (15 January 2015)

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 17 January 2015)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

Research article
Workplace violence against homecare workers and its relationship with workers health outcomes: a cross-sectional study
Ginger C Hanson, Nancy A Perrin, Helen Moss, Naima Laharnar, Nancy Glass BMC Public Health 2015, 15:11 (17 January 2015)
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Research article
Factors associated with willingness to participate in clinical trials: a nationwide survey study
Sang Chu, Eun Kim, Seok Jeong, Geu Park BMC Public Health 2015, 15

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Research article
Determinants of underweight, stunting and wasting among schoolchildren
Mekides Wolde1, Yifru Berhan2* and Alemzewed Chala1
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:8 doi:10.1186/s12889-014-1337-2
Published: 17 January 2015
Abstract (provisional)
Background
The cause of under-nutrition in schoolchildren is complex and varying from region to region. However, identifying the cause is the basic step for nutritional intervention programs.
Methods
School based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 450 schoolchildren aged 7-14 years, using multi-stage sampling techniques in Dale Woreda, southern Ethiopia.
A structured questionnaire and 24-hour recall methods were administered to determine the sociodemographic and dietary intake of participants. Stool microscopic examination was done. Weight and height were measured using a standard calibrated scale. Odds ratio generated from logistic regression was used to determine the strength of variables association.
Results
Older age group (10-14 vs. 7-9) (AOR=3.4; 95% CI, 1.7-6.6) and having Trichuris Trichura infection (AOR=3.9; 95% CI, 1.4 -11.6) increased the risk of being stunted. Children whose mothers have completed primary education are less likely to be stunted than children whose mothers do not have formal education (AOR=0.3; 95% CI, 0.2-0.8).Having large family size (AOR=3.3; 95% CI, 1.4-7.9) and inadequate intake of carbohydrate (AOR=3.1; 95% CI, 1.4-6.8) were independent predictors of wasting. Children whose mothers completed primary education are less likely to be underweight (AOR=0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9). Children live in food insecure households are more likely to be stunted, under-weight and wasted than children live in food secure households (AOR=2.5; 95%, 1-5.6; AOR=3.9; 95%CI, 1.2-12.0; AOR=4.8; 95%CI, 1.7-13.6;).
Conclusion
Household food insecurity, low maternal education and infection with Trichuris trichura were some of the major factors contributing to under-nutrition in the study area.

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Research article
Qualitative study on the socio-cultural determinants of care of children orphaned by AIDS in the Ashanti and Eastern regions of Ghana
Lily Yarney1, Chuks Mba2 and Emmanuel Asampong1*
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:6 doi:10.1186/s12889-014-1332-7
Published: 17 January 2015
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Almost three decades after the discovery of HIV and AIDS in Ghana, the most obvious impact of the disease is the growing orphan crisis affecting most families and communities, especially in areas that the prevalence of HIV has exceeded the epidemic’s threshold of 5%. Studies have indicated that these orphans usually experience a wide range of problems which include education, nutrition, physical and sexual abuse, emotional and psychological distress, stigma and discrimination, among others The aim of the study was to examine the social, cultural, and traditional norms and practices that influence the care of children orphaned by AIDS in Ghana.
Methods
The study employed focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews to generate information on the socio-cultural factors that impact orphan care in the Ashanti and Eastern regions of Ghana.
Results
The findings indicated that the cultural practices that influence how well an AIDS orphan is taken care of by their caregivers include traditional rituals, ceremonies, and norms like funeral rites, marriage and naming ceremonies, festivals, inheritance, polygyny, and puberty rites. The social factors mentioned to affect orphan care significantly were: excessive alcohol drinking, and tobacco and drug use, dressing with fashion, night club attendance, market days, stigma and discrimination, among others.
Conclusion
It is recommended that though some cultural and traditional practices are deeply rooted in communities and cannot be done away completely, orphan care policies on interventions should take into account these factors to mitigate their effects on the care of orphans.

British Medical Journal
17 January 2015(vol 350, issue 7991)
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/7991

Editorials
Should children be evacuated during times of war?
Derrick Silove, professor
Author affiliations
BMJ 2015; 350 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g7824 (Published 05 January 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:g7824
Excerpt
Maintaining the integrity of families should be a cornerstone of policies to protect children in war zones.

Debate has long surrounded the question of whether children who experience major separations from parents are at increased risk of future mental disorder.1 2 More than 30 years ago, Michael Rutter concluded that most children show remarkable resilience in the face of separations.3 However, he acknowledged that separations occurring under severe adversity can pose a major threat to future mental health.3

War represents a special case, in which separations in families occur under extreme duress.4 Nevertheless, distinguishing the long term psychiatric effects of parent-child separations from other war related traumas and stresses remains a difficult methodological challenge.4 In a linked paper (doi:10.1136/bmj.g7753) Santavirta and colleagues examine psychiatric outcomes in adulthood among a sample of 1425 Finnish children evacuated to Swedish foster families during the second world war.5 The evacuated children did not differ in their rates of hospital admissions for psychiatric disorders in adulthood from age matched siblings who remained at home or from a larger national cohort of children who remained in the war zone.

The strengths of the study are that the authors drew on a nationally representative sample using objective records to index childhood evacuation status and later psychiatric admissions. …

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Long term mental health outcomes of Finnish children evacuated to Swedish families during the second world war and their non-evacuated siblings: cohort study
BMJ 2015;350:g7753 (Published 05 January 2015)

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Clinical Review
The prevention and management of rabies
BMJ 2015;350:g7827 (Published 14 January 2015)

Disaster Prevention and Management
Volume 24 Issue 1
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0965-3562&show=latest

Does transformational leadership build resilient public and nonprofit organizations?
Jesus N. Valero , Kyujin Jung , Simon A. Andrew
(pp. 4 – 20)
Abstract
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of transformational leadership – broadly defined as an individual who is visionary, innovative, inspirational and sensitive to the needs of followers – on the level of organizational resiliency.
Design/methodology/approach
– This study employs multiple hierarchical regression analysis to test the causal relationship between transformational leadership and organizational resiliency by utilizing 112 respondents working in emergency management departments of local governments, fire and police stations, and nonprofit organizations in the Southeastern Economic Region of South Korea.
Findings
– The results of the analysis indicate that transformational leadership style has a positive and statistically significant effect on perceived organizational resiliency. The findings also indicate that elected officials such as mayors are more likely to focus on building organizational resiliency than appointed officials and nonprofit leaders.
Originality/value
– This study fills the gap of the current literature in the field of emergency management by establishing empirical evidence of the need to identify leaders with transformational traits in order to build a resilient organization, which can better respond and adapt to a catastrophic event in the Asian context.

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Bridging the concepts of resilience, fragility and stabilisation
Siambabala Bernard Manyena , Stuart Gordon
(pp. 38 – 52)
Abstract
Purpose
– The fragile states and stabilisation concepts appear to resonate with the concept of community resilience. Yet, there is barely a framework that integrates the three concepts. The authors posit that despite the increasing interest in community resilience in fragile states, there is much less clarity of resilience, fragility and stabilisation connections. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
– This paper is based on the literature review of the concepts of community resilience, fragility and stabilisation.
Findings
– The findings restate that the state fragility results from the breakdown of the social contract between the state and its citizens. Whilst both resilience and stabilisation are desirable constructs in reducing fragility, they should be broadly underpinned by agency not only to enhance preventive, anticipatory, absorptive and adaptive actions but also lead to social transformative capacity where agency is embedded for communities to exercise some sort of power to foster change.
Originality/value
– This paper has encourages debate on resilience, fragility and stabilisation connections by suggesting framework for “doing” resilience-informed stabilisation programmes in fragile states. The framework, which may not necessarily be approached in a linear fashion, has three major components: identifying existing resilience factors, enhancing and sustaining these and delivering resilient communities. However, there is need to test the utility of the framework in practice.

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From armed conflict to disaster vulnerability
Marcus Marktanner , Edward Mienie , Luc Noiset
(pp. 53 – 69)
Abstract
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to estimate the effect of armed conflict on the vulnerability to natural hazards.
Design/methodology/approach
– The authors employ panel estimates of disaster deaths on a lagged indicator of the presence of armed conflict.
Findings
– Disaster deaths following armed conflict are on average 40 percent higher compared to disasters that are chronologically detached from armed conflict events; a legacy of armed conflict accounts for roughly 14 percent of the approximately five million disaster deaths between 1961 and 2010.
Practical implications
– A global estimate of the relationship between armed conflict and disaster vulnerability can help disaster management planners identify policy priorities associated with disaster prevention and management.
Originality/value
– The analysis reinforces the findings in previous qualitative studies of a causal link between armed conflict and increased disaster vulnerability and provides a quantitative estimate of the average magnitude of this relationship.

Health Policy and Planning
Volume 30 Issue 1 February 2015
http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/content/current

Bypassing birth centres for childbirth: an analysis of data from a community-based prospective cohort study in Nepal
Rajendra Karkee1, Andy H Lee2,* and Colin W Binns2
Author Affiliations
1School of Public Health and Community Medicine, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal and 2School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Abstract
Background In Nepal, women residing in rural areas tend to bypass local birth centres and deliver at urban hospitals, despite the availability of obstetric care in these centres. This study investigated the incidence of bypassing, characteristics of bypassers and their reasons for bypassing the birth centres.
Methods A prospective cohort study was undertaken in the Kaski district of central Nepal. The 353 pregnant women of 5 months or more gestation recruited from the community had access to local birth centres. They were interviewed at baseline using a structured questionnaire, and were followed up within 45 days post-partum. Comparisons were made between women who delivered at birth centres and those who gave birth at hospital. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors affecting the risk of bypassing.
Results Of the final sample of 258 participants who delivered in a health facility, 181 women (70.2%) bypassed their nearest birth centres to deliver at hospitals. Bypassers tended to be wealthy and have intrapartum complications, but the likelihood of bypassing apparently decreased by higher parity and frequent (four or more) antenatal care visits. Availability of operating facility, adequacy of medical supplies and equipment and competent health staff at the facility were the main reasons for their bypassing decision.
Conclusions The risk of bypassing for childbirth was high in central Nepal. Provision of quality and reliable emergency obstetric services together with well trained and competent staff at birth centres are recommended to reduce bypassing and pressure on the public hospital system.

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The administrative costs of community-based health insurance: a case study of the community health fund in Tanzania
Josephine Borghi1,2,*, Suzan Makawia2 and August Kuwawenaruwa2
Author Affiliations
1London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15–17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, UK and 2Ifakara Health Institute, Kiko Avenue, Plot 463, Kiko Avenue Mikocheni, P.O. Box 78, 373 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Accepted October 29, 2013.
Abstract
Community-based health insurance expansion has been proposed as a financing solution for the sizable informal sector in low-income settings. However, there is limited evidence of the administrative costs of such schemes. We assessed annual facility and district-level costs of running the Community Health Fund (CHF), a voluntary health insurance scheme for the informal sector in a rural and an urban district from the same region in Tanzania. Information on resource use, CHF membership and revenue was obtained from district managers and health workers from two facilities in each district. The administrative cost per CHF member household and the cost to revenue ratio were estimated. Revenue collection was the most costly activity at facility level (78% of total costs), followed by stewardship and management (13%) and pooling of funds (10%). Stewardship and management was the main activity at district level. The administration cost per CHF member household ranged from USD 3.33 to USD 12.12 per year. The cost to revenue ratio ranged from 50% to 364%. The cost of administering the CHF was high relative to revenue generated. Similar studies from other settings should be encouraged.

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Cost-effectiveness analysis of a voucher scheme combined with obstetrical quality improvements: quasi experimental results from Uganda
Y Natalia Alfonso1,*, David Bishai1, John Bua2, Aloysius Mutebi2, Crispus Mayora2 and
Elizabeth Ekirapa-Kiracho2
Author Affiliations
1Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA 2Department of Health Policy, Planning and Management, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, PO Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda
Abstract
The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Uganda has declined significantly during the last 20 years, but Uganda is not on track to reach the millennium development goal of reducing MMR by 75% by 2015. More evidence on the cost-effectiveness of supply- and demand-side financing programs to reduce maternal mortality could inform future strategies. This study analyses the cost-effectiveness of a voucher scheme (VS) combined with health system strengthening in rural Uganda against the status quo. The VS, implemented in 2010, provided vouchers for delivery services at public and private health facilities (HF), as well as round-trip transportation provided by private sector workers (bicycles or motorcycles generally). The VS was part of a quasi-experimental non-randomized control trial. Improvements in institutional delivery coverage (IDC) rates can be estimated using a difference-in-difference impact evaluation method and the number of maternal lives saved is modelled using the evidence-based Lives Saved Tool. Costs were estimated from primary and secondary data. Results show that the demand for births at HFs enrolled in the VS increased by 52.3 percentage points. Out of this value, conservative estimates indicate that at least 9.4 percentage points are new HF users. This 9.4% bump in IDC implies 20 deaths averted, which is equivalent to 1356 disability-adjusted-life years (DALYs) averted. Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the status quo and VS’s most conservative effectiveness estimates shows that the VS had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per DALY averted of US$302 and per death averted of US$20 756. Although there are limitations in the data measures, a favourable cost-effectiveness ratio persists even under extreme assumptions. Demand-side vouchers combined with supply-side financing programs can increase attended deliveries and reduce maternal mortality at a cost that is acceptable.

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Buy now, saved later? The critical impact of time-to-pandemic uncertainty on pandemic cost-effectiveness analyses
Tom Drake1,2,3,*, Zaid Chalabi1 and Richard Coker1,4
Author Affiliations
1London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Kepple Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK, 2Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK, 3Mahidol University Rajvithi Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand and 4National University of Singapore, Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119077
Accepted November 21, 2013.
Abstract
Background Investment in pandemic preparedness is a long-term gamble, with the return on investment coming at an unknown point in the future. Many countries have chosen to stockpile key resources, and the number of pandemic economic evaluations has risen sharply since 2009. We assess the importance of uncertainty in time-to-pandemic (and associated discounting) in pandemic economic evaluation, a factor frequently neglected in the literature to-date.
Methods We use a probability tree model and Monte Carlo parameter sampling to consider the cost effectiveness of antiviral stockpiling in Cambodia under parameter uncertainty. Mean elasticity and mutual information (MI) are used to assess the importance of time-to-pandemic compared with other parameters. We also consider the sensitivity to choice of sampling distribution used to model time-to-pandemic uncertainty.
Results Time-to-pandemic and discount rate are the primary drivers of sensitivity and uncertainty in pandemic cost effectiveness models. Base case cost effectiveness of antiviral stockpiling ranged between is US$112 and US$3599 per DALY averted using historical pandemic intervals for time-to-pandemic. The mean elasticities for time-to-pandemic and discount rate were greater than all other parameters. Similarly, the MI scores for time to pandemic and discount rate were greater than other parameters. Time-to-pandemic and discount rate were key drivers of uncertainty in cost-effectiveness results regardless of time-to-pandemic sampling distribution choice.
Conclusions Time-to-pandemic assumptions can “substantially” affect cost-effectiveness results and, in our model, is a greater contributor to uncertainty in cost-effectiveness results than any other parameter. We strongly recommend that cost-effectiveness models include probabilistic analysis of time-to-pandemic uncertainty.

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 17 January 2015]

Research
Balancing the personal, local, institutional, and global: multiple case study and multidimensional scaling analysis of African experiences in addressing complexity and political economy in health research capacity strengthening
Alastair Ager, Christina Zarowsky Health Research Policy and Systems 2015, 13:5 (17 January 2015)
Abstract

International Migration Review
Winter 2014 Volume 48, Issue 4 Pages 921–1110
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imre.2014.48.issue-4/issueto
Original Article
A Manifesto for Quantitative Multi-sited Approaches to International Migration
Cris Beauchemin
Article first published online: 11 NOV 2014
DOI: 10.1111/imre.12157
The papers in this issue, and four papers that will appear in the Spring 2015 issue of IMR, originate from the Comparative and Multi-sited Approaches to International Migration Conference (Paris, Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques, December 2012). Most of the 30 communications presented at the conference can be consulted at: <http://mafeproject.site.ined.fr/en/events/final_conference/&gt;. The event was funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement 217206, the Institut National d’Etudes Démographiques (Ined), the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and the Region Ile de France.

Journal of International Development
January 2015 Volume 27, Issue 1 Pages 1–154
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jid.v27.1/issuetoc

Research Article
Poverty Effects of Remittances: a Comparative Analysis
Muhammad Tariq Majeed†,*
Article first published online: 18 NOV 2014
DOI: 10.1002/jid.3055
Abstract
This paper studies the impact of remittances on cross-country poverty using a panel data set from 65 developing counties over a long period 1970–2008. This study differs from the existing literature on poverty impact of remittances by explicitly noting the importance of financial development in shaping the link. This analysis shows that the effect of remittances on poverty depends on the level of financial development of a remittances receiving economy. Those economies that have a low level of financial development seem to acquire an unfavourable effect of remittances while economies with comparatively developed financial systems do not suffer from the adverse effects of remittances. In sum, remittances accentuate not ameliorate poverty in countries with the low level of financial development.

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Short Note
Macroeconomic Consequences of the One Laptop per Child Project
Jeffrey James
Article first published online: 29 JUN 2014
DOI: 10.1002/jid.3023
Abstract
Because some developing countries have adopted the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project at the national level and others are planning to do so, the macroimplications of this idea can no longer be ignored. Accordingly, I examine whether or not full adoption of OLPC computers in primary schools imbalances the national education budget. Using a simple formula, I address this question in relation to Peru, Uruguay, Rwanda and several other countries. The results suggest tentatively that the OLPC proposal tends to be untenable in poor developing countries, tenable or untenable in middle-income countries and redundant in most rich countries.

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Research Article
Female Labour Supply in A Developing Economy: A Tale from A Primary Survey
Basanta K. Pradhan1,*, Shalabh K. Singh2 and Arup Mitra1
Article first published online: 13 MAR 2014
DOI: 10.1002/jid.2994
Abstract
The U-shaped relationship between economic development and female work force participation rate may be explained at the household level in terms of the interaction between social factors and the income of the household. The social attitude and income are likely to be influenced by education, which augments the income on the one hand and on the other shifts women from stigmatised jobs to non-stigmatised jobs and also reduces the adverse social response towards women participation in the labour market. The shift across sectors of employment is also motivated by education, implying positive associations between education and high productivity jobs