COD AID Tobacco

Although developed countries have made great strides in tobacco control, tobacco use is increasing in many developing countries due to higher incomes, aggressive marketing by multinational tobacco corporations, and freer trade. In a recent joint report, Thomas J. Bollyky, CFR senior fellow for global health, economics, and development, and Amanda Glassman, director of global health policy at the Center for Global Development, propose the use of Cash-on-Delivery (COD) Aid as a new incentive mechanism for tobacco control in low- and middle-income countries. In order for such a project to be successful, the right indicator of progress, country, reward, and funders must be selected. The authors break down how such a pilot could function in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Image: flickr user JanetandPhil/ CC

Adolescent Fertility

Teenage pregnancy is at the top of the agendas of many development agencies in the lead-up to the family planning summit hosted by the UK Government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation July 2012. A new working paper by Kate McQueston, Rachel Silverman, and Amanda Glassman aggregates recent empirical evidence on the socioeconomic consequences of and programs to reduce teenage pregnancy in the developing world, finding that there is still limited experimentation in this area. Interventions to reduce adolescent fertility have had variable success, but programs that lower barriers to attending school or increase the opportunity cost of school absence are most consistently supported by the existing literature. Amanda Glassman's recent blog introducing the working paper here.

Image: DFID - UK Department for International Development/ CC

Value for Money in Malaria

Although there have been studies of the cost-effectiveness of particular malaria interventions, there has been less analysis of broader aspects of value for money in malaria programming. In a new CGD working paper, Paul Wilson and Ya’ir Aizenman examine opportunities for value for money in malaria control, extensively analyzing the effectiveness of interventions and current trends in spending. The authors conclude that on the whole resources for malaria control are well spent, but also note some areas where meaningful efficiencies might be possible, including (i) improving procurement procedures for bed nets, (ii) developing efficient ways to replace bed nets as they wear out, (iii) reducing overlap of spraying and bed net programs, (iv) expanding the use of rapid diagnostics, and (v) scaling up intermittent presumptive treatment for pregnant women and infants. A short piece explaining these findings, Of Budgets and Bednets: Improving Malaria Spending, by Amanda Glassman and Kate McQueston was recently published in the Interdependent. Learn more about our Value for Money for Global Health Funding Agencies Working Group here.

Image: Gates Foundation/ CC