Helpdesk Reports
Youth employment programmes are varied but meta-analysis and systematic reviews of impact assessments of these programmes indicate that some interventions have an overall positive effect on employment and earnings. Assessments of programmes which support youth job creation in the private sector find that larger businesses are more likely to generate jobs than micro-enterprises. In general,… Read more
With 2.1 billion people – mostly in rural areas – lacking safely managed drinking water and reported low rural water supply functionality rates, the Sustainable Development Goals pose a triple challenge: to reach unserved mostly rural population groups, to raise service levels, and to sustain existing and future services. This assessment uses a multi-country case… Read more
The evidence found for this report shows that vending machines have been used to make contraceptives available to vulnerable groups in low and middle income countries in a number of programmes. Examples from different parts of the world include: A six-year HIV prevention pilot programme started in 2009, which plans to install 100 CVMs using… Read more
Theoretically derived factors (preexisting child characteristics, trauma exposure, caregiver– child relationship, and school-based mental health programming) were examined as potential correlates of distress in children residing in the region closest to the epicenter of the 2010 Chilean earthquake. One year before the earthquake, 2nd-grade students who attended 9 schools that provide government-run mental health intervention… Read more
Conflict and displacement create distinctive challenges for education practitioners. However, opportunities for reform and positive change within the sector also arise simultaneously during and after conflict. This book explores some of the prospects for positive transformation. A series of 10 case studies presents specific examples of how positive change has been implemented in the education… Read more
Drawing on research from a diverse set of countries, including the USA, Somalia, Colombia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the contributors of this volume consider the relationship between education and internally displaced persons. The case studies presented raise fundamental questions regarding the barriers to education and some unexpected benefits for displaced children. The dynamics… Read more
The world’s population is ageing rapidly, with the over-60 population growing fastest. Since 2000, there have been more people aged 60 or over than children under 5. A rapidly ageing population presents large and unique challenges. This briefing discusses the results of pilot healthcare programmes in four countries, Cambodia, Mozambique, Peru and Tanzania. The findings… Read more
Secondary schools that offer pre-vocational courses in conjunction with traditional ones have flourished over the past decade in many developing countries. In fact, interest in these “diversified” schools seems to be growing because more and more governments are seeking assistance to establish diversified curricula. Although the World Bank has been investing heavily in these educational… Read more
The purpose of this essay is to discuss the Prouni – University for All policy, which has been implemented in Brazil in an effort to increase access of the underprivileged to postsecondary education. In order to provide a better understanding of the problem, three points of interest are initially addressed: income inequality, illiteracy, and a… Read more
This is the report of an evaluation of Swedish development bilateral research cooperation activities that aim to strengthen research capacity in Mozambique, Tanzania, Bolivia and Nicaragua, thus increasing their access to knowledge in areas of central importance for poverty-reducing development. The programmes in the four countries focused on capacity building of individual staff members, research infrastructure and, to a… Read more
The purpose of this essay is to discuss the Prouni – University for All policy, which has been implemented in Brazil in an effort to increase access of the underprivileged to post-secondary education. In order to provide a better understanding of the problem, three points of interest are initially addressed: income inequality, illiteracy, and a… Read more