"Health shocks have been shown to have important economic consequences in industrial countries. Less is known about how health shocks affect income, consumption, labor market outcomes, and medical expenditures in middle- and low-income countries. The authors explore these issues in China. In...

"While there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence on the economic effects of adverse health shocks, there is relatively little hard empirical evidence. The author builds on recent empirical work to explore in the context of postreform Vietnam two related issues: (1) how far household income and...

More people around the world are dying from noncommunicable diseases than ever before. These diseases, which include cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and heart disease, prematurely kill more than 15 million people between ages 30 and 69 each year. Many of these health conditions...

Non-communicable diseases account for a large and growing share of Brazil's burden of disease. Currently, about 66 percent of the disease burden in Brazil is due to non-communicable diseases, compared to 24 percent from communicable diseases and 10% from injuries. Brazil's shift towards...

The poor health status of Russia's economically active adult population-its human capital-is imperiling sustainable economic and social development. What factors contribute to the excessive mortality, ill health, and disability in Russia, particularly among working-age adults? What are the...

Sri Lanka is now a middle income country and already at the advanced stages of aging and disease transitions. This report aims to stimulate policy dialogue for control and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and to improve the quality of NCD services to the people of Sri Lanka. It...