{
  "title": "Protecting Education and Health Spending in Low-Income Countries",
  "publication": "IMF Blog, June 6, 2017",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2017/06/06/protecting-education-and-health-spending-in-low-income-countries",
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  "summary": "Analysis of more than 25 years of data (1988–2014) indicates:",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Key findings from the IMF analysis",
      "content": "- Analysis of more than 25 years of data (1988–2014) indicates:\n  - Public health spending, as a share of GDP, has on average remained unchanged.\n  - Public education spending has increased by 0.32 percentage points.\n- In many countries with IMF-supported programs, per capita public spending on health and education has significantly outpaced the growth of per capita income.\n- Minimum financing levels for health, education, and social safety nets were included in virtually all low-income country programs, and more than two-thirds of these program targets were met.\n- IMF-supported programs have helped boost social spending by:\n  - Unlocking additional donor financing.\n  - Encouraging tax reforms that create stronger and more reliable sources of government revenue."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Financing, lending, and technical assistance",
      "content": "- The Fund extended zero interest rates on all IMF concessional lending to help low-income countries deal with future shocks and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (described as having been done \"last year\").\n- The IMF provides hands-on technical assistance, helping more than 130 countries per year to generate higher public revenue for investment in hospitals, schools, and poverty reduction.\n- In response to the Ebola outbreak, the IMF moved swiftly to provide the Ebola-affected countries with $380 million in financial assistance—described as “cash in the bank” to help impacted countries fight this devastating disease."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Program design, protective measures, and reform priorities",
      "content": "- The success of low-income country programs increasingly depends on two key factors:\n  - (i) Minimum levels of government spending on health, education, and social safety nets.\n  - (ii) Specific reform measures to protect vulnerable groups.\n- The IMF identifies three areas for improvement:\n  - Define program targets more explicitly, using concrete, itemized spending goals.\n    - Example: Kenya’s 2011 program included targets for the cost of anti-retroviral treatments, spending on primary and secondary public education, and cash transfers to vulnerable children and seniors—making the program more targeted and effective.\n  - Improve the design of social safety nets.\n    - Example: Haiti — programs have pushed up expenditure for poverty reduction, and the IMF’s emergency loan in the wake of Hurricane Matthew was aimed at rebuilding basic social services.\n  - Deliver better outcomes by stepping up collaboration with governments and development partners.\n    - Example: Bangladesh — IMF collaboration with the World Bank to gauge the impact of higher food and energy prices on the social safety net."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Case examples cited",
      "content": "- Tanzania, Honduras, the Kyrgyz Republic: per capita public spending on health and education significantly outpaced per capita income growth in IMF-supported programs.\n- Honduras: government used an extended cash transfer to cushion the impact of its fiscal adjustment (2014).\n- Kenya: 2011 program with specific targets for health, education, and cash transfers.\n- Haiti: IMF emergency loan post-Hurricane Matthew aimed at rebuilding basic social services.\n- Bangladesh: joint IMF–World Bank work to assess impacts on social safety nets."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Policy implications and overarching message",
      "content": "- Safeguarding social spending is critical because women, young people, seniors, and the poor often lack the political leverage to promote their economic well-being.\n- Protecting the health and skills of vulnerable groups supports stronger, more durable, and more inclusive growth.\n- Combining explicit targets, better-designed social safety nets, and deeper collaboration with partners — plus greater agility in delivering support — is the recommended path forward.\n- As stated in the piece: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”\n\nSource: Protecting Education and Health Spending in Low-Income Countries (IMF blog post by Christine Lagarde, June 6, 2017).\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- 保障低收入国家的教育和医疗支出; IMFBlog—2017年6月6日\n  - 保障低收入国家的教育和医疗支出; IMFBlog—2017年6月6日 (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - 保障低收入国家的教育和医疗支出; IMFBlog—2017年6月6日 (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n- 低所得国で教育と健康・衛生への支出を守る: クリスティーヌ・ラガルド; IMF ブログ2017年6月6日掲載\n  - 低所得国で教育と健康・衛生への支出を守る: クリスティーヌ・ラガルド; IMF ブログ2017年6月6日掲載 (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - 低所得国で教育と健康・衛生への支出を守る: クリスティーヌ・ラガルド; IMF ブログ2017年6月6日掲載 (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n- Защита расходов на образование и здравоохранение в странах с низкими доходами\n  - Защита расходов на образование и здравоохранение в странах с низкими доходами (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - Защита расходов на образование и здравоохранение в странах с низкими доходами (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\n References\n\n- عربي\n- https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BLOG-MD-1099x500-KENYA-Nairobi-School-Children-on-Lunch-LineXinhuaSipaUSA-Newscom.sipaphotossix895241.jpg\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2017/06/06/protecting-education-and-health-spending-in-low-income-countries"
    }
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    "Authors: Christine Lagarde",
    "Published: June 6, 2017",
    "Analysis of more than 25 years of data (1988–2014) indicates:",
    "In many countries with IMF-supported programs, per capita public spending on health and education has significantly outpaced the growth of per capita income.",
    "Minimum financing levels for health, education, and social safety nets were included in virtually all low-income country programs, and more than two-thirds of these program targets were met.",
    "IMF-supported programs have helped boost social spending by:",
    "The Fund extended zero interest rates on all IMF concessional lending to help low-income countries deal with future shocks and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (described as having been done \"last year\").",
    "The IMF provides hands-on technical assistance, helping more than 130 countries per year to generate higher public revenue for investment in hospitals, schools, and poverty reduction.",
    "In response to the Ebola outbreak, the IMF moved swiftly to provide the Ebola-affected countries with $380 million in financial assistance—described as “cash in the bank” to help impacted countries fight this devastating disease.",
    "The success of low-income country programs increasingly depends on two key factors:",
    "The IMF identifies three areas for improvement:",
    "Tanzania, Honduras, the Kyrgyz Republic: per capita public spending on health and education significantly outpaced per capita income growth in IMF-supported programs.",
    "Honduras: government used an extended cash transfer to cushion the impact of its fiscal adjustment (2014).",
    "Kenya: 2011 program with specific targets for health, education, and cash transfers.",
    "Haiti: IMF emergency loan post-Hurricane Matthew aimed at rebuilding basic social services.",
    "Bangladesh: joint IMF–World Bank work to assess impacts on social safety nets.",
    "Safeguarding social spending is critical because women, young people, seniors, and the poor often lack the political leverage to promote their economic well-being.",
    "Protecting the health and skills of vulnerable groups supports stronger, more durable, and more inclusive growth.",
    "Combining explicit targets, better-designed social safety nets, and deeper collaboration with partners — plus greater agility in delivering support — is the recommended path forward.",
    "As stated in the piece: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”",
    "**保障低收入国家的教育和医疗支出; IMFBlog—2017年6月6日**",
    "**低所得国で教育と健康・衛生への支出を守る: クリスティーヌ・ラガルド; IMF ブログ2017年6月6日掲載**",
    "**Защита расходов на образование и здравоохранение в странах с низкими доходами**",
    "[عربي](https://blog-montada.imf.org/?p=5430)",
    "[https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BLOG-MD-1099x500-KENYA-Nairobi-School-Children-on-Lunch-Line_Xinhua_SipaUSA-Newscom.sipaphotossix895241.jpg](https://www.imf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BLOG-MD-1099x500-KENYA-Nairobi-School-Children-on-Lunch-Line_Xinhua_SipaUSA-Newscom.sipaphotossix895241.jpg)"
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