Aids and Economic Growth: A Human Capital Approach

It is estimated that by 2001 20 million people had died from AIDS, which is now the world´s fourth biggest cause of death. While the highest prevalence and death rates and number of infected persons are reported for sub-Saharan Africa, where life expectancies at birth are declining rapidly and infant mortality rates are increasing, there is evidence that the epidemic is accelerating in Asia and Eastern Europe. While the human and social costs of the HIV/AIDS epidemic are the major causes for concern, the econometric results reported in this paper indicate that the macroeconomic affects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic have been substantial; especially in Africa where the average marginal negative impact on income per capita of a one percent increase in HIV prevalence rate is 0.59 percent. Even in countries where the HIV prevalence rates are lower the marginal impacts are non trivial

Summit of the Americas: The IDB Agenda to Support the Mandates of the Summits of Quebec and Nuevo León: Activities and Strategic Programs

During the Hemispheric Summit that took place in Quebec, Canada, in April 2001, the Inter-American Development Bank presented a set of 22 strategic programs intended to contribute to meeting the mandates that stem from the Summits of the Americas and the commitments that are part of the Plan of Action adopted in Quebec. Since then, the IDB has carried out intensive and complex financial and technical activities in the context of those 22 strategic programs. The programs fall into five areas that summarize the mandates adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Americas, namely: democratic governance and political development; integration and economic development; ecology and sustainable development; equity and human development; and connectivity and technological development. During the Special Summit in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico (January 2004), the IDB presented a report summarizing achievements made since 2001 with respect to the programs presented in Quebec. In addition, the Declaration of Nuevo León establishes new mandates.Research & Development, Economic Development & Growth, Democracy, Governance, Mar del Plata Summit, November 2005, SOC2005-15

Cutting out the middle man?: disintermediation and the academic library

Big Deals, open access, and digitisation increasingly mean that selection decisions are being removed from librarians and transferred to the end user. David Ball looks at the forces pushing towards this ‘disintermediation’ and considers the future role of the academic library

Addressing gender-based violence in the Latin American and Caribbean Region : A critical review of interventions

The authors present an overview of gender-based violence (GBV) in Latin America, with special emphasis on good practice interventions to prevent GBV or offer services to its survivors or perpetrators. Intimate partner violence and sexual coercion are the most common forms of GBV, and these are the types of GBV that they analyze. GBV has serious consequences for women's health and well-being, ranging from fatal outcomes, such as homicide, suicide, and AIDS-related deaths, to nonfatal outcomes, such as physical injuries, chronic pain syndrome, gastrointestinal disorders, complications during pregnancy, miscarriage, and low birth-weight of children. GBV also poses significant costs for the economies of developing countries, including lower worker productivity and incomes, and lower rates of accumulation of human and social capital. The authors examine good practice approaches in justice, health, education, and multisectoral approaches. In each sector, they identify good practices for: (1) law and policies; (2) institutional reforms; (3) community-level interventions; and (4) individual behavior change strategies.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Gender and Development,Gender and Social Development,Public Health Promotion,Children and Youth,Adolescent Health,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Youth and Governance,Gender and Social Development,Children and Youth

Review of selected areas of research on the Caribbean subregion in the 2000s: identifying the main gaps

Includes bibliographyThis study has been prepared to assist the French Development Agency (AFD), as part of the implementation of its Framework for Action Regional Caribbean, to identify the main development issues of the Caribbean region and areas of future research. The study focuses on the state of the research in the Caribbean region and proposes areas for future collaboration between the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the AFD. The areas of enquiry cover economic, social and cultural, environmental and international relations, with an emphasis on public policy. The study also presents the key institutions driving the research and the main outcomes of the publications. It also identifies, subject by subject, the main research gaps which emerge despite the considerable body of research done in the region. Caribbean countries have many similarities such as their relatively small size and high vulnerability to external shocks and environmental disasters, however, beneath these similarities can be found different approaches to growth and development. In terms of coverage, this study focuses principally on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member States as well as the CARICOM countries plus the Dominican Republic (CARIFORUM), the associate CARICOM member States, the Caribbean observer members and countries of the French Caribbean territories

Global Employment Trends for Youth: August 2004

[Excerpt] Young women and men are the world’s greatest asset for the present and future, but they also represent a group with serious vulnerabilities. In recent years increasing global unemployment has hit young people the hardest and today’s youth are faced with high levels of economic and social uncertainty. All too often, their full potential is not realized because they do not have access to productive and protected jobs. Compared to adults, the youth of today are more than three times as likely to be unemployed. Yet open unemployment is but the tip of the iceberg. In both industrialized and developing economies, young people are more likely to find themselves working longer hours under informal employment, intermittent (temporary, part-time, casual) work and insecure arrangements, which tend to be characterized by low productivity, low wages and limited labour protection. There can be no doubt that there is a link between youth unemployment and vulnerability; an inability to find a job creates a sense of exclusion and uselessness among youths and can heighten the attraction of engaging in illegal activities. In addition, an individual’s previous unemployment experience has been proven to have implications for his future employment chances. This report continues the ILO Global Employment Trends series to provide a valuable analysis of the current labour market trends of young people. It incorporates the most recent information available in order to shed light on the possible factors contributing to the increasing difficulties youth face today when trying to enter the labour force. The report identifies indicators which help to quantify the situation of young workers with an eye towards identifying the specific challenges necessary to meet the UN Millennium Declaration initiative to develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work . The information provided here also offers a concise picture of where decent work opportunities are most needed around the world

Pattern and determinants of HIV research productivity in sub-Saharan Africa: bibliometric analysis of 1981 to 2009 PubMed papers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several bibliometric studies have been published on AIDS. The findings obtained from these studies have provided a general picture of the history and growth of AIDS literature. However, factors related to variation in HIV research productivity in sub-Saharan Africa have not been examined. Therefore, this study aims to fill some of the gap in existing research to provide insights into factors associated with HIV research productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A bibliometric analysis regarding sub-Saharan Africa HIV/AIDS research was conducted in the PubMed database for the period of 1981 to 2009. The numbers of HIV research articles indexed in PubMed was used as surrogate for total HIV research productivity. Series of univariable and multivariable negative binomial regression models were used to explore factors associated with variation in HIV research productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>First authors from South Africa, Uganda and Kenya contributed almost half of the total number of HIV articles indexed in PubMed between 1981 and 2009. Uganda, Zimbabwe and Malawi had better records when the total production was adjusted for gross domestic product (GDP). Comoros, the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau were the most productive countries when the total products were normalized by number of people with HIV. There were strong positive and statistically significant correlation between countries number of indexed journal (Pearson correlation r = 0.77, p = .001), number of higher institutions (r = 0.60, p = .001), number of physicians (r = 0.83, p = .001) and absolute numbers of HIV articles.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HIV research productivity in Africa is highly skewed. To increase HIV research output, total expenditure on health (% of GDP), private expenditure on health, and adult literacy rate may be important factors to address.</p

Education Research Gender, Education and Development - A Partially Annotated and Selective Bibliography

Community/Rural/Urban Development,