Human Well-Being and Policy in South Asia

Human Well-Being and Policy in South Asia
Author: Vijay Kumar Shrotryia
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2019-11-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3030332705

This book explores human well-being in South Asia from a policy dimension. It discusses the cultural history and diversity of the region in order to highlight major priority areas of public policy to improve people’s quality of life. The huge gap between economic development and human development, in areas such as education, health and income, is a concern for policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders. The book helps develop a strong argument for a shift of focus of state’s expenditures aimed at improving human well-being, and assesses public policy initiatives from the perspectives of the stakeholders such as the state, the market, households, civil society as well as NGOs and agencies involved in this development mission. As such it is of great interest to scholars in the field of quality-of-life and well-being research and policymakers at national and international level.

Development and Welfare Policy in South Asia

Development and Welfare Policy in South Asia
Author: Gabriele Koehler
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2014-03-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1136730982

This book sheds light on social policies in six South Asian countries introduced between 2003 and 2013, examining the ways in which these policies have come about, and what this reflects about the nature of the state in each of these countries. It offers a detailed analysis of the nature of these policies introduced in recent years in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and illustrates the similarities and differences in policy approaches amongst the six countries. Through this analysis, the book explores the thesis of whether there is a particular type of ‘developmental welfare state’ that can be observed across South Asia. The focus is on social policies or policies designed to address poverty and deliver welfare at the level of programming and design, i.e. the stated intent of these policies. The book also presents an analysis of the fiscal space available in each of the six countries, thereby drawing conclusions about the financial feasibility of a ‘developmental welfare state’ model in the region. This comprehensive book uniquely explores critical aspects of policy debates on a possible move from welfare to ‘rights’. It introduces students and researchers in development studies, social policy and South Asian studies to innovative welfare programmes in South Asia and gives a new perspective on the nature and patterns of welfare in South Asia with the view of tackling inequality and promoting well-being.

The Pursuit of Human Well-Being

The Pursuit of Human Well-Being
Author: Richard J. Estes
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 829
Release: 2017-01-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3319391011

This handbook informs the reader about how much progress we, the human race, have made in enhancing the quality of life on this planet. Many skeptics focus on how the quality of life has deteriorated over the course of human history, particularly given World War II and its aftermath. This handbook provides a positive perspective on the history of well-being. Quality of life, as documented by scientists worldwide, has significantly improved. Nevertheless, one sees more improvements in well-being in some regions of the world than in others. Why? This handbook documents the progress of well-being in the various world regions as well as the differences in those regions. The broad questions that the handbook addresses include: What does well-being mean? How do different philosophical and religious traditions interpret the concept of well-being within their own context? Has well-being remained the same over different historical epochs and for different regions and subregions of the world? In which areas of human development have we been most successful in advancing individual and collective well-being? In which sectors has the attainment of well-being proven most difficult? How does well-being differ within and between different populations groups that, for a variety of socially created reasons, have been the most disadvantaged (e.g., children, the aged, women, the poor, racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities)?

Human Capital Development in South Asia

Human Capital Development in South Asia
Author: Asian Development Bank
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2017-12-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9292610392

Human capital is an important factor for economic growth in South Asia. Between 1981 and 2010, human capital contributed about 22% of annual gross domestic product per worker growth in India. During the same period, it contributed around 21% in Bangladesh, and 16% in Sri Lanka. However, education and skills remain the binding constraint. Raising the quality of education and skills in South Asia's workforce can play a critical role in catching up to the level of development of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and other successful Southeast Asian economies. This study reviews the development of human capital in South Asia and analyzes contributing factors to human development including policies and strategies that countries in South Asia follow.

Climate Change and Human Health Scenario in South and Southeast Asia

Climate Change and Human Health Scenario in South and Southeast Asia
Author: Rais Akhtar
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2016-04-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319236849

This book is the first to present a regional analysis of climate change and human health, focusing on geographically and socio-economically distinct countries of South and Southeast Asia. It has a major focus on India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan. Climate change is a significant and emerging threat to human health. lt represents a range of environmental hazards and will affect populations in both the developed and developing countries. In particular, it affects the regions where the current burden of climate-sensitive diseases are high, which is the case in South and Southeast Asian countries.

Decentralization and Health Policy in South Asia

Decentralization and Health Policy in South Asia
Author: Nisha Bellinger
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2024-09-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1040112889

This ambitious and insightful book provides a unique regional perspective on health policy across South Asia, focusing on how the decentralization of policy and governance leads to differing health outcomes across different countries in the region. Comparing the contexts and outcomes in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, the book asks how power sharing arrangements between central and subnational layers of government nevertheless result in varying levels of success across issues such as infant and under-five mortality rates. The book argues that it is the role of central government in formulating policy, and how this feeds into regional implementation, that partly explains the disparities in health outcomes across the region. The book will interest students and scholars of South Asia politics, global health and health policy more generally.

MhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG)

MhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG)
Author: World Health Organization
Publisher: World Health Organization
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2015-05-20
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 9241548924

The mhGAP Intervention Guide (IG) is a clinical guide on mental neurological and substance use disorders for general health care workers who work in non-specialized health care settings particularly in low- and middle-income countries. These health care workers include general physicians family physicians nurses and clinical officers. The mhGAP programme provides a range of tools to support the work of health care providers as well as health policy makers and planners The proposed guide is an adaptation of the mhGAP Intervention Guide to be used in humanitarian settings. These settings include a broad range of acute and chronic emergency situations arising from armed conflicts natural disasters and industrial disasters and may include mass displacement of populations (eg refugees and/or internally displaced people).

Social Development and the Sustainable Development Goals in South Asia

Social Development and the Sustainable Development Goals in South Asia
Author: Nitya Mohan Khemka
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2019-09-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 135103524X

This book assesses the roadmap for the implementation of the SDGs in South Asia, focusing in particular on the areas of poverty reduction, inequality, health/well-being and water and sanitation. South Asia is amongst the fastest growing regions in the world, with an aggregate GDP in excess of two trillion US dollars, but at the same time it has significant deficits in human development, with 37 per cent of the world's poor and nearly half of the world's malnourished children. For South Asia, the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a constructive opportunity to end many of the region's deprivations in a time-bound and systematic manner. Starting with the legacy of the Millennium Development Goals, the book goes on to provide a country-by-country overview of strategies for addressing the problems of poverty, health, water and sanitation. South-South Cooperation and in particular the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are discussed and, finally, the editors present a summary of policy priorities for social development. This book aims to be a useful resource for researchers, policy influencers, planners, implementers, students, and activists aiming to push to achieve the SDGs.

Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas

Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas
Author: Robert J. Nicholls
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 615
Release: 2018-05-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319710931

This book answers key questions about environment, people and their shared future in deltas. It develops a systematic and holistic approach for policy-orientated analysis for the future of these regions. It does so by focusing on ecosystem services in the world’s largest, most populous and most iconic delta region, that of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. The book covers the conceptual basis, research approaches and challenges, while also providing a methodology for integration across multiple disciplines, offering a potential prototype for assessments of deltas worldwide. Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas analyses changing ecosystem services in deltas; the health and well-being of people reliant on them; the continued central role of agriculture and fishing; and the implications of aquaculture in such environments.The analysis is brought together in an integrated and accessible way to examine the future of the Ganges Brahmaputra delta based on a near decade of research by a team of the world’s leading scientists on deltas and their human and environmental dimensions. This book is essential reading for students and academics within the fields of Environmental Geography, Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy focused on solving the world’s most critical challenges of balancing humans with their environments. This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Explaining South Asia's Development Success

Explaining South Asia's Development Success
Author: Sadiq Ahmed
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0821366009

South Asia has performed well over the past 25 years in reducing poverty, improving human development and increasing growth, but faster progress with poverty reduction will require a higher rate of growth. This book shows that the development performance is not a puzzle but largely explained by good policies. Countries in the region have maintained good macroeconomic environments, opened up their economies to greater domestic and international competition, and reduced the role of corrupt and inefficient public enterprises.