4.3 Governments and international governments role in health

Question 1

What are some of the different types of governments and how do they affect progress and development levels?

Answer 1

socialist- public ownership, welfare state
capitalist- private ownership, competition
democratic- elected by a franchise
totalitarian- only one party has complete control- no opposition allowed
dictatorship- one person in complete control
communist- classless society, everything provided by the state

Question 2

How is social progress accelerated?

Answer 2

-government intervention- for example creating a national health service, providing subsidised housing for the poor, free education
-social enterprise- businesses that trade for social or environmental purposes
-social activism- intentional actions aimed at bringing about social change

Question 3

What is France’s spending on healthcare like?

Answer 3

Healthcare is predominantly state funded and has the fourth highest spending as a % of GDP in the G20. Some families pay top up insurance.

Question 4

What is French government spending like as a % of GDP

Answer 4

They have one of the highest % of GDP of government spending- over 56%

Question 5

What is France’s government spending like on education?

Answer 5

Spending is high, at about £8,500 per student, compared to the UK’s top spending of around £7000 per student in inner London

Question 6

What is France’s government spending like on welfare and pensions?

Answer 6

Again, high in France. In 2016, someone who had worked full time for 40 years received about £15,000 annually. This is more than the UK as UK citizens will get around £7,500 a year

Question 7

What is Saudi Arabia’s spending on healthcare like?

Answer 7

80% state-funded. It’s hospitals are high quality and State healthcare is free.

Question 8

What is Saudi Arabia’s government spending like on education and what are the consequences of this?

Answer 8

Lower than France. Education focuses on religious teaching. Saudi teachers are poorly trained and graduates are unable to find jobs in the oil industry because ex-pat workers are better skilled and qualified

Question 9

What is Saudi Arabia’s government spending like on welfare and pensions and why is it like this?

Answer 9

in 2015 the official unemployment rate was 12%, but the hidden rate is much higher, especially because only 22% of Saudi women work. Unemployment pay is £400 monthly, payable for only 12 months, meaning 20% of the country live in poverty. Pensions are low by global standards (£300 monthly), though few retiring expats remain in the country

Question 10

What is the governing system in Saudi Arabia?

Answer 10

autocratic- the ruling royal family have absolute power on everything- from driving bans for women to health spending

Question 11

What does Saudi Arabia’s government rely on in terms of industry and workers?

Answer 11

Oil production contributes to 97% of export earnings, and is largely owned by royal elite and so their economy and government spending is subject to global oil prices. Half of the 10 million employees are ex-pats from over-seas, often on contract work

Question 12

What are the 8 MDG?

Answer 12

1. eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. achieve universal primary education
3. promote gender equality and empower women
4. reduce child mortality
5. improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. ensure environmental sustainability
8. develop a global partnership for development

Question 13

What progress has been made towards MDG 1?

Answer 13

The number in extreme poverty has reduced by 56% from 1.9bn to 836mn. China’s economic progress accounts for over 500 million of that fall
The middle class living on more than $4 a day has almost tripled

Question 14

What progress has been made towards MDG 2?

Answer 14

enrolled primary school children in developed regions has reached 91%, up from 83%
Sub Sahara Africa has made the greatest improvement with a 20 % point increase from 2000 to 2015
The gap between men and women has narrowed

Question 15

What progress has been made toward MDG 3?

Answer 15

Women have increased their parliamentary representation in nearly 90% of countries. Yet still only 1 in 5 members are women
In South Asia 103 girls are enrolled in school for every 100 boys compared to 74 in 1990

Question 16

What progress has been made toward MDG 4?

Answer 16

global under 5 mortality rate has declined by halved despite a growing population
Measles vaccinations helped to prevent 15.6 million deaths between 2000 and 2013

Question 17

What progress has been made towards MDG 5?

Answer 17

worldwide maternal ration declined by 45% worldwide, with Southern Asia declining 64% and sub-Saharan Africa 49%

Question 18

What progress has been made towards MDG 6?

Answer 18

Between 2000 and 2015, TB prevention saved 37 million lives and 6.2 malaria deaths were averted through treatment programmes.
More than 900 million mosquito nets were delivered to sub-Saharan African countries between 2004 and 2014

Question 19

What progress has been made towards MDG 7?

Answer 19

Ozone depleting substances eliminated
Protected marine and terrestrial area rose to 23.4% by 2014 in Latin America
91% used improved drinking water in 2015 compared to 76% in 1990
2.1bn gained access to sanitation

Question 20

What progress has been made towards MDG 8?

Answer 20

official global assistance increased by 66%, reaching $135.2bn

Question 21

Why have some people criticised the MDGs?

Answer 21

progress has been uneven
they often fell short, especially for those in the poorest of countries and those who are disabled
Critics, including Hans Rosling have asserted that all but one MDG concentrate on poverty reduction rather than wealth creation

Question 22

How did Bangladesh do in achieving the MDGs?

Answer 22

They only reached their targets of eradicating poverty and achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education. The other 6 targets they did not reach, including:
-The maternal mortality ratio fell to 170 per 100,000 but was meant to reach 143
-They fell short of their target to have 20% of land area covered by forest, reaching only 13.4%

Question 23

What are the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals?

Answer 23

They launched a new set of 17 SDGs to be achieved by 2030. The aspiration was to:
-end poverty
-protect the planet
-ensure prosperity for all
While they call for all countries to be involved to develop poverty reduction alongside sustainable scheme and infrastructure to do so, they are not legally binding. Governments are expected to take ownership to establish national frameworks for the goals.

Question 24

What views have the dominant IGOs (IMF, WTO etc) usually promoted when developing?

Answer 24

neo-liberal values with development based on free trade, privatisation and deregulations, often at the expense of cutting education and health programmes

Question 25

What have some of the IGOs more recent policies been aimed at developing?

Answer 25

environmental quality, health, education and human rights

Question 26

How has the world bank looked to improve education?

Answer 26

They are a founding member of the GPE (global partnership for education) which looks to help achieve MDGs 2 and 3. They invest in early childhood education and look to develop a good educational system. Their focus has been on the poorest, including education for girls, ethnic minorities, children with disabilities and those living in conflict. Between 2002 and 2015, the GPE invested over US $35 bn on educational programmes

Question 27

How has the world bank looked to tackle climate change?

Answer 27

2016 new initiative- the Climate Change action Plan. Aims to help developing countries like India, to add 30 gigawatts of renewable energy by investing $1bn into solar schemes.
Similarly they plan to provide early warning systems for 100 million.
This is part of their strategy to end world poverty and they increasingly recognize climate change causes a threat to efforts to relieve poverty

Question 28

Why has the IMF got its critics?

Answer 28

It uses SAPS on indebted countries, forcing them to restructure their economy so that the state plays a small role in privatisation and in social welfare. The consequence was often to reduce education and health provision and privatisation would be at the benefit of TNCs

Question 29

How has the IMF changed to focus more on the MDGs?

Answer 29

Created a poverty reduction programme. Instead of imposed conditions, countries are now required to develop their own plans to receive aid, loans and debt relief.

Question 30

What is an example of the IMF working in partnership with a country to reduce poverty?

Answer 30

they are currently working with the government of Haiti to implement development strategies to enable to economy to become more resilient, particularly after Hurricane Matthew. They have the target of making the country an emerging economy by 2030

Question 31

Why has the WTO had its critics?

Answer 31

It’s policies to promote trade have frequently resulted in environmental degradation, such as rainforest clearance as land is cleared to grow crops. Specifically in Indonesia, clearance has led to rapid growth in palm oil production

Question 32

How does the WTO now try to tackle environmental problems?

Answer 32

-restrict the international movement of products or species that are potentially harmful or endangered
-challenging trade agreements where there may be harmful implications for the environment