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Routes to Better Health for Children in Four Developing Countries
Author(s) -
CROGHAN THOMAS W.,
BEATTY AMANDA,
RON AVIVA
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the milbank quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1468-0009
pISSN - 0887-378X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2006.00450.x
Subject(s) - developing country , psychological intervention , intervention (counseling) , economic growth , health care , corporate governance , development economics , child mortality , political science , medicine , environmental health , business , economics , nursing , finance
Despite the availability of effective, affordable interventions for the most common causes of death, more than ten million children in developing countries die each year. This article describes the circumstances of four countries whose reductions in child mortality exceeded what might be expected from their poor economic circumstances, and it asks whether they followed common routes to improved health for children. The findings suggest that contextual factors, such as the degree of economic development, good governance, and strong health care systems, matter less than do targeted health intervention, foreign aid, and technical assistance. In general, these findings contradict prevailing U.S. foreign policy regarding the circumstances in which progress toward health goals can be made.