Do No Harm

The complicated interface between economic change in developing countries and human health is little understood. While the World Bank continues to impose economic structural adjustment programmes, and health sector reforms, policy makers have little knowledge of their actual effects on health. This book seeks to remedy that gap with a more comprehensive model. It gathers a large body of empirical evidence on both the direct and indirect effects of economic changes on health, including the impact on household coping strategies. It examines health sector reforms and trends in health expenditure in their impact on poverty, equity and health. The most appropriate health indicators for economic impact assessment are explored, and policy changes including the use of safety nets to mitigate the social costs of adjustment, are examined.