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Access to financial services varies sharply around the world. In many developing countries less than half the population has an account with a financial institution, and in most of Africa less than one in five households do. Lack of access to finance is often the critical mechanism for generating persistent income inequality, as well as slower growth. 'Finance for All?: Policies and Pitfalls in Expanding Access' documents the extent of financial exclusion around the world; addresses the importance of access to financial services for growth, equity and poverty reduction; and discusses policy interventions and institutional reforms that can improve access for underserved groups. The report is a broad ranging review of the work already completed or in progress, drawing on research utilizing data at the country, firm and household level. Given that financial systems in many developing countries serve only a small part of the population, expanding access remains an important challenge across the world, leaving much for governments to do. However, not all government actions are equally effective and some policies can be counterproductive. The report sets out principles for effective government policy on broadening access, drawing on the available evidence and illustrating with examples.

The Little Data Book on Financial Development 2014 is a pocket edition of the Global Financial Development Database, published as part of the work on the Global Financial Development Report 2014: Financial Inclusion. It contains 38 indicators of financial development in 205 economies, including measures of (1) financial depth, (2) access, (3) efficiency, and (4) stability of financial institutions and markets. Additional variables, historical observations, and links to underlying research are available at www.worldbank.org/financialdevelopment.

Since the mid-1990s, Bangladesh's banking sector has grown considerably. Despite the boom and the government's efforts to increase access in rural areas, rural financial markets have shrunk in relative terms. As a result, access to finance by micro, small, and medium-size enterprises and marginal, small, and medium-size farmers - the \"missing middle\" - remains limited, which is significant because these groups are the engines of growth in rural Bangladesh in terms of employment, contribution to GDP, and prospects for future growth.

Since the 1970s, several international organizations have increased their interest in creating instruments to measure reality. In the field of communication, various nonprofit organizations such as Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders and IREX, generated indicators. In 2008 the Intergovernmental Council of the International Program for the Development of Communication (IPDC) approved Media Development Indicators (MDI); Framework for assessing the development of social media at its 26th meeting (26th – 28th March, 2008). Citizen participation and access to information were consolidated as essential instruments for democratic discourse. The main objective of this article is to critically analyze MDI, paying particular attention to these two aspects: citizen participation and access to information. In order to achieve this, a multi-method design (Cresswell, 2014) has been applied, which is divided into several successive phases so that the methodology chosen may be compatible with the complex nature of the object of study. The first phase has been an extensive literature review; the second phase was in the form of a questionnaire put to a panel of experts who participated in the definition, implementation and critical analysis of the indicators. Finally, a series of in-depth interviews were arranged to further explore the findings. At the end of this process, we have found a contrast between the statements of values that appear in the UNESCO document, and the obscure practices and political pressure from state members to hinder the correct development of citizen participation and access to information Desde los años setenta del siglo pasado diversas organizaciones internacionales han aumentado su interés por crear instrumentos de medición de la realidad. En el ámbito de la comunicación, entidades sin ánimo de lucro como los de Freedom House, Reporteros Sin Fronteras o IREX generaron indicadores. En 2008, el Consejo Intergubernamental del Programa Internacional para el Desarrollo de la Comunicación (PIDC) en su sesión XXVI (26-28 marzo 2008) aprobó los Indicadores de desarrollo mediático (IDM). Marco para evaluar el desarrollo de los medios de comunicación social. En ellos, la participación ciudadana y el acceso a la información se consolidaban con instrumentos imprescindibles del discurso democrático. El presente artículo tiene como objetivo principal realizar un análisis crítico de los IDM, prestando especial atención a estos dos aspectos: la participación ciudadana y el acceso a la información. Para alcanzar dicha finalidad se ha planteado un diseño multimétodo (Cresswell, 2014) que se divide en varias fases sucesivas con el propósito de que la metodología elegida se adecúe a la compleja naturaleza del objeto de estudio. En primer lugar, se ha realizado una profusa revisión documental, a continuación se ha aplicado un cuestionario a un panel de expertos formado por informantes que han participado en la definición, aplicación y análisis crítico de distintos indicadores para, en una última etapa, ahondar en los hallazgos obtenidos mediante entrevistas en profundidad. Entre los principales resultados de la investigación destaca la divergencia que existe entre las declaraciones de valores que aparecen en el documento de UNESCO, con las prácticas oscurantistas y presiones políticas de los estados miembros para dificultar, precisamente, el correcto desarrollo de la participación ciudadana y el acceso a la información.

Countries everywhere are divided into two distinct spatial realms: one urban, one rural. Classic models of development predict faster growth in the urban sector, causing rapid migration from rural areas to cities, lifting average incomes in both places. The process continues until the marginal productivity of labor is equalized across the two realms. The pattern of rising urbanization accompanying economic growth has become one of the most visible and self-evident empirical facts of development across the world, with almost 200,000 people making the rural-to-urban trek every day, according to the United Nations. Cities across the world are powering growth, development, and modernization. The study then takes a close look at Diepsloot, a large township in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Area, to bring out more vividly the economic realities and choices of township residents. Although atypical in many ways, by the virtue of being newer, poorer, and more informal, with a bigger concentration of migrants (many of them foreign nationals), than the historically established townships, Diepsloot also retains many of the economic characteristics of South African townships: Issues of joblessness, uneven access to basic public services, and overwhelming levels of crime and violence are almost as pervasive in Diepsloot as they are in other T&IS. At the same time, an emergent informal sector more visibly pervades the township than seen in the average township, which makes it a particularly useful place to study in order to develop an understanding of the kinds of economic activities that are feasible in townships. It focuses particularly on the nature of business activity in the township, the key investment-climate constraints faced by its firms, income and expenditure patterns across households, and some aggregative social and human indicators. In a first attempt of its kind for a township, the report also develops a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) of Diepsloot for a comprehensive and consistent picture of the place, including the circular flow of income within the township, the nature of its interaction with the rest of the South African economy, and a simple multiplier analysis of its economy.

Monitoring health inequality is a practice that fosters accountability and continuous improvement within health systems. The cycle of health inequality monitoring helps to identify and track health differences between subgroups providing evidence and feedback to strengthen equity-oriented policies programmes and practices. Through inequality monitoring and the use of disaggregated data countries gain insight into how health is distributed in the population looking beyond what is indicated by national averages. Data about health inequalities underlie health interventions that aim to reach vulnerable populations. Furthermore they constitute an evidence base to inform and promote equity-oriented health initiatives including the movement towards equitable universal health coverage. _x000D__x000D_ _x000D__x000D_ This Handbook is a user-friendly resource developed to help countries establish and strengthen health inequality monitoring practices. The handbook elaborates on the steps of health inequality monitoring including selecting relevant health indicators and equity stratifiers obtaining data analysing data reporting results and implementing changes. Throughout the handbook examples from low- and middle-income countries are presented to illustrate how concepts are relevant and applied in real-world situations; informative text boxes provide the context to better understand the complexities of the subject. The final section of the handbook presents an expanded example of national-level health inequality monitoring of reproductive maternal and child health. _x000D__x000D_.

Since the 1970s, several international organisations have increased their interest in creating instruments to measure reality. In the field of communication, various organisations, such as Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders and IREX, generated indicators. In 2008 the Intergovernmental Council of the International Program for the Development of Communication (IPDC) approved Media Development Indicators (MDI); Framework for assessing the development of social media at its meeting XXVI (26th - 28th March 2008). Citizen participation and access to information are consolidated within them as essential instruments of democratic discourse. The main objective of the article is to critically analyse the MDI, paying particular attention to these two aspects; citizen participation and access to information. In order to achieve this, a multi-method design (Cresswell, 2014) has been applied, which is divided into several phases in order to exploit most of the qualitative and quantitative data possible. The first phase has been an extensive literature review to highlight key points; the second phase was in the form of a questionnaire put to a panel of experts who participated in the definition, implementation and critical analysis of the indicators. Finally, a series of in-depth interviews were arranged to further explore the findings. At the end of this process, we have found a contrast between the statements of values that appear in the UNESCO document, and the obscure practices and political pressure from state members to hinder the correct development of citizen participation and access to information.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Key Theories and Concepts Alternative Theories: Access as “Fit” in Theory and Practice Questioning Access Theories Conclusion: Reconciling Frameworks and Building a Unified Field References

This book was commissioned by the Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights as part of the work undertaken by the Priority Public Health Conditions Knowledge Network of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health, in collaboration with 16 of the major public health programs of WHO: alcohol-related disorders, cardiovascular diseases, child health, diabetes, food safety, HIV/AIDS, maternal health, malaria, mental health, neglected tropical diseases, nutrition, oral health, sexual and reproductive health, tobacco and health, tuberculosis, and violence and injuries. In addition to this, through collaboration with the Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, 13 case studies were commissioned to examine the implementation challenges in addressing social determinants of health in low-and middle-income settings. The Priority Public Health Conditions Knowledge Network has analyzed the impact of social determinants on specific health conditions, identified possible entry-points, and explored possible interventions to improve health equity by addressing social determinants of health.