• 2009 Small Grants Competition

    to adopt a cross-learning and iterative approach that will enable all researchers to learn from each other across different types of bio-innovation throughout the region.

  • Overview of the Project

    to enhance biological innovative capabilities, policies & institutions to support just, equitable & sustainable social & economic development in developing countries.

  • Bio-innovations in the NEWS

    Policy briefs and articles on relevant dimensions of bio-innovation.

Enabling bioinnovation for poverty allevation in Asia.

Protecting the rural poor against the economic consequences of major illness: A challenge for Asian transitional economies (POVILL)

An IDS coordinated project.

Major illness in the family has become an important cause of household impoverishment in China and the ex-command economies of Southeast Asia, as these countries have managed the transition to a market economy. This is related to the low levels of government funding of health care and the rising cost of medical care. The Governments of China and Cambodia have recently announced major policy initiatives to address this problem and the government of Laos is considering similar action. The purpose of this project is to support these initiatives and assess their performance, whilst contributing to international knowledge about how to help households cope with major illness. The study will take place in rural areas in Cambodia, Laos and Hubei and Sichuan provinces in Central China.

In each location, the methodological approach will be that of in-depth case studies, organised as four integrated sub-projects. The first will assess the impact of different types of illness on different types of household and the effectiveness and consequences of the various coping strategies that they adopt. The second will assess the performance and outcome of health assistance schemes. The third will study how provider performance, particularly regarding use of drugs, contributes to the high cost of care and identify realistic strategies for reducing these costs. The fourth will assess political and institutional influences on policy formulation and implementation.

POVILL is a four year European funded project set up to support these initiatives and assess their performance, whilst contributing to international knowledge about how to help households cope with major illness.

Further information in English and Chinese can be found on the POVILL website

Dates: 1 October 2005 - 30 September 2009
Funder: The European Commission
IDS Key contact: Dr Gerald Bloom

Partners

  • Centre of Advanced Studies, Cambodia

  • China Health Economics Institute, China

  • Division of International Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

  • Institute of Development Studies, UK

  • Institute of Social Development and Public Policy, Beijing Normal University, China

  • National Institute of Public Health, Cambodia

  • National Institute of Public Health, Lao PDR

  • Prins Leopold Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde, Belgium

  • West China Centre of Medical Sciences, Sichuan University, China

  • Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, China

Researchers

  • Dr Gerald Bloom, Scientific Coordinator (IDS)

  • Jas Vaghadia, Project Coordinator (IDS)

For further information contact povill@ids.ac.uk