The Role of Development Assistance in Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Low-Income Countries

Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in the area of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). However, while these are positive developments, the overall trend hides important differences in SRHR outcomes across countries and regions. Many low- and lower-middle-income countries in south Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa continue to experience substantial challenges in the area of SRHR and carry a disproportionate burden of SRHR related morbidity and mortality.

The overall purpose of this research project is to contribute to an improved understanding of the effectiveness of development assistance for health in the area of SRHR. The general approach is to generate a comprehensive database of cross-country indicators for the period 1990–2019 and conduct statistical analysis of relationships between relevant factors.

In particular, the study aims to complete three specific study objectives:

  1. To collect and collate a purposive database from existing sources of data.
  2. To estimate the cross-country correlations between types of SRHR aid and SRHR outcomes.
  3. To model the relationship between SRHR aid and SRHR outcomes using statistical methods.

Authors:
Björn Ekman, Researcher, Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University

Jesper Sundewall, Assistant researcher, Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University

Chair, reference group: Julia Schalk

Project manager at EBA: Helena Hede Skagerlind