Zero subsidy strategies for accelerating access to rural water and sanitation services

2011 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1037-1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
The Past ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Rural Water ◽  
Sustainable Services ◽  
One Year

Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and Household-Led Water Supply (HLWS) are zero subsidy approaches to water and sanitation service provision that have been recently piloted in Zambia. The increases in access to sanitation and toilet usage levels achieved in one year under CLTS were far greater than any achieved in subsidised programmes of the past. Similarly, HLWS has shown that rural households are willing to invest in their own infrastructure and that they can increase coverage of safe water without external hardware subsidy. The promotion of self-sufficiency rather than dependency is a key component of both approaches, as is the focus on the development of sustainable services rather than the external provision of infrastructure. Zero subsidy strategies have the potential to deliver far more rapid increases in service coverage and higher levels of sustainability than the conventional subsidised approaches that predominate in low-income countries.

Some Challenges for DEWATS Approaches in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Eales
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Treated Effluent ◽  
Sustainable Services

SA has set bold targets to ensure universal access to water and sanitation by 2014. One consequence of South Africa's comparative wealth is that government has substantial fiscal resources to fund rapid infrastructure development and service upgrading and subsidise a portion of the recurrent costs of water and sanitation services for low income households. More than 70% of the population now has at least a VIP toilet, and about 56% have sewered flush toilets. Government's commitment to improving sanitation services does not yet align with the municipal capacity to run sewered sanitation with centralised wastewater treatment as the default in all urban settlements. Decaying networks, sewer spills and rising levels of wastewater treatment failure are polluting South Africa's water systems and, in time, could compromise national water security in a context of growing scarcity. South Africa urgently needs to find lower cost, less skills-intensive ways of treating wastewater that have a reduced risk of failure and which meet people's need for robust, sustainable services. DEWATS approaches have significant merit. Implementation of DEWATS approaches in South Africa must take account of three main challenges:▪ The willingness of South African municipalities to consider alternatives to conventional sewering and wastewater treatment▪ The nutrient load of the final treated effluent, given the importance of safe-guarding river water quality in a context of growing water scarcity▪ Partnering and co-management dynamics in a context of state-centric supply-side service provision The paper reviews each in the context of a leading innovator in sanitation improvement in South Africa, eThekwini Metro Municipality. In 2010, the Metro will test the technical limits of DEWATS treatment efficacy at a purpose-built research site. The results will inform the utility's decision about whether to proceed with DEWATS from a technical perspective, and if so, how.

WATSAN in Partnership with NGOs and Communities of Nepal

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Kumar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Rural Water Supply ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Rural Water ◽  
The Government ◽  
Sustainable Services ◽  
Water Supply And Sanitation

The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Fund Development Board (The Board) has been implementing WATSAN schemes in Nepal since March 14, 1996 under assistance from World Bank/IDA and DFID. The Board brought fundamental changes in the conventional supply driven approach to promote Demand Driven Community based water supply and sanitation project with cost effective and sustainable services to the rural people of Nepal. Communities are supported to form inclusive local water supply and sanitation user groups that can plan, implement, and operate drinking water and sanitation infrastructure that delivers sustainable health, hygiene and productivity benefits to rural households. Under the Board fund presently 165 NGOs partner together with local communities in 71 districts of Nepal to deliver safe water and sanitation services. The Board has contributed to improve sector institutional performance by grooming service delivery capacity of NGOs, Communities and mainstreaming its successful approaches in to Government mechanism and other sector agencies delivering developmental services in Nepal. Latest contribution of the Board is to support Ministry of Physical Planning and Works in establishing computerized Monitoring and Evaluation Unit and provide information regarding progress in rural water supply and sanitation sector. This will help the government in performance based budget allocation to service delivering agencies. As to Board's own performance various studies shows after project 90 percent hand wash practice in community, 33 percent No Open Defecation schemes and 84–92 percent sustainability of 3-8years old schemes

scholarly journals The quantity-quality tradeoff: a cross-national, longitudinal analysis of national student-faculty ratios in higher education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Buckner ◽  
You Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Faculty Roles ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Past ◽  
Enrollment Rates ◽  
National Trends ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Cross National

Abstract This article analyzes cross-national trends in national student-faculty ratios (SFRs) over the past five decades. In descriptive analyses, we find that SFRs have increased globally, driven by particularly large increases in low-income countries. We analyze two cross-national datasets to examine factors associated with national SFRs. We find that national SFRs are positively associated with gross tertiary enrollment rates and particularly so in low-income countries. In contrast, both the female share of faculty and research spending are associated with having lower national SFRs. The findings shed light on how national higher education systems are responding to massification pressures and suggest that differentiating faculty roles is one way that countries curb their rising SFRs as enrollments grow.

scholarly journals COVID-19, Australia: Epidemiology Report 15: Reporting week to 2359 AEST 10 May 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Case Fatality Rate ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Fatality Rate ◽  
Public Health Action ◽  
The Past ◽  
Global Rate

Confirmed cases in Australia notified up to 10 May 2020: notifications = 6,971; deaths = 98. The incidence of new cases of COVID-19 has reduced dramatically since a peak in mid-march. The reduction in international travel, social distancing measures and public health action have likely been effective in slowing the spread of the disease, in the Australian community. Cases of COVID-19 continue to be notified by jurisdictions, albeit at a slowed rate. Testing rates over the past week have increased markedly, with a very low proportion of people testing positive. These low rates of detection are indicative of low levels of COVID-19 transmission. It is important that testing rates and community adherence to public health measures remain high to support the continued suppression of the virus, particularly in vulnerable high-risk groups and settings. In the past reporting week new cases in Australia are mostly considered to be locally acquired, consistent with the drop in international travel. Most locally-acquired cases can be linked back to a known case or cluster. Although the proportion of locally-acquired cases has increased, the overall rate of cases, regardless of place of acquisition, continues to decrease. The crude case fatality rate in Australia remains low (1.4%), compared with the WHO reported global rate (6.9%). The low case fatality rate is likely reflective of high case detection and high quality of health care services in Australia. Deaths from COVID-19 in Australia have occurred predominantly among the elderly and those with comorbidities, with no deaths occurring in those under 40 years. The highest rate of COVID-19 continues to be among people aged 60-79 years, with a third of these cases associated with several outbreaks linked to cruise ships. The lowest rate of disease is in young children, a pattern reflected in international reports. Internationally, cases continue to increase, with some areas such as Brazil and India showing a dramatic rise in reported cases. Although some low-income countries have currently reported few cases, it is possible that this is due to limited diagnostic and public health capacity, and may not be reflective of disease occurrence.

Approaches to Macrofinancial Surveillance in Article IV Reports

Policy Papers ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Policy Advice ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Financial Shocks ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

The Fund has made good progress over the past two years in integrating macrofinancial analysis into Article IV surveillance for a wide range of members. Building on past work to enhance financial sector analysis, Fund staff has sought to develop a consistent and forward-looking view on how the financial sector affects each member’s economic outlook with the aim of strengthening staff’s capacity to provide advice on macro-critical questions. The focus has been on developing a fuller understanding of macrofinancial linkages, and applying this analysis to inform policy advice. Staff has sought to articulate the role of the financial sector in the macroeconomic baseline, and to integrate the financial sector into the risk assessment, taking into account both the impact of macro shocks on the financial sector as well as the effect of financial shocks on macroeconomic stability. Strengthening the analytical foundations of this work has helped staff provide advice in all policy areas, including financial sector policies. Staff has tailored macrofinancial analysis to the circumstances of a diverse set of economies. Area departments have taken the lead in selecting 66 economies for enhanced macrofinancial coverage and in identifying topics, drawing on targeted support from functional departments. The choice of coverage has included legacies from the global financial crisis—such as deleveraging and stretched balance sheets in advanced economies and some emerging markets—and more recent challenges such as commodity price shocks, especially in low income countries, and the risks of housing booms. The financial sector’s contribution to growth and inclusion has become an important question in countries across all income groups. Staff sees benefits in mainstreaming this approach across the membership, while continuing to address analytical gaps and adapting to new challenges. The work of the past two years has underscored the criticality of macrofinancial analysis for a diverse range of members, and laid the basis for progressively mainstreaming macrofinancial surveillance across the membership. Building on this progress, staff sees scope for the Fund to deepen its understanding of the macroeconomic effects of financial shocks, to better adapt microprudential and macroprudential policy advice with an assessment of macro-critical risks including systemic risk, and to deepen the analysis of outward spillovers. Staff will also need to continue to adapt the focus of analysis and tools, and seek relevant data, as economic challenges evolve.

scholarly journals Challenges and opportunities to improve autism services in low-income countries: lessons from a situational analysis in Ethiopia

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Tekola ◽  
Y. Baheretibeb ◽  
I. Roth ◽  
D. Tilahun ◽  
A. Fekadu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Situational Analysis

Background.Little has been reported about service provision for children with autism in low-income countries. This study explored the current service provision for children with autism and their families in Ethiopia, the existing challenges and urgent needs, and stakeholders’ views on the best approaches to further develop services.Methods.A situational analysis was conducted based on (i) qualitative interviews with existing service providers; (ii) consultation with a wider group of stakeholders through two stakeholder workshops; and (iii) information available in the public domain. Findings were triangulated where possible.Results.Existing diagnostic and educational services for children with autism are scarce and largely confined to Ethiopia's capital city, with little provision in rural areas. Families of children with autism experience practical and psychosocial challenges, including severe stigma. Informants further raised the lack of culturally and contextually appropriate autism instruments as an important problem to be addressed. The study informants and local stakeholders provided several approaches for future service provision expansion, including service decentralisation, mental health training and awareness raising initiatives.Conclusions.Services for children with autism in Ethiopia are extremely limited; appropriate care for these children is further impeded by stigma and lack of awareness. Ethiopia's plans to scale up mental healthcare integrated into primary care provide an opportunity to expand services for children with autism and other developmental disorders. These plans, together with the additional strategies outlined in this paper can help to address the current service provision gaps and may also inform service enhancement approaches in other low-income countries.

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