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FMCG Giant Reckitt Benckiser, Hindustan Unilever Slug It Out in Swachh Bharat Drive
Global FMCG giant RB is taking the fight to HUL through its Banega Swachh India campaign. Both companies have high stakes in PM Narendra Modi's clean India initiative as they believe they can drive change in con sumer behaviour through the programme, which will eventually lead to higher sales volumes of soaps and cleaners.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- public policy
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Why the United Nations Doesn’t Pay Its Interns
Given all the dark and terrible events happening around the world right now, the plight of a 22-year-old living in a tent in Geneva may seem fairly inconsequential. And yet, the story of David Hyde – an unpaid United Nations intern who set up camp by Lake Geneva to save money – has clearly struck a chord with many all around the world. It's already had some small consequences, too: Hyde has resigned from his internship due to the media pressure.
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
- Tags
- public policy
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Viewpoint: TPP’s Outcome Pivotal for Future of Global Biomedical Innovation
After seven years of wrangling toward the final terms of an ambitious free trade agreement that will join 12 Asia-Pacific nations, only the thorniest of market access and intellectual property issues remain unresolved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Of these, perhaps the most contentious concerns how long pharmaceutical companies should have exclusive intellectual property rights covering the clinical trial data they compile as they develop novel biologic medicines. U.S. negotiators have stood fast in advocating for 12 years of data protection — the standard that Congress enshrined into U.S. law following extensive deliberation — while other TPP parties have sought to limit the regulatory data protection period to as little as five to seven years.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- public policy
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The Disruptors Are Forcing Change in the Remittance Industry
Remittances to Africa have grown rapidly in recent times, and it forms an integral part of the $500 billion global money transfer market. This is because several African nations rely heavily on money sent home by friends and relatives working abroad. Hundreds of Africansare migrating daily to keep growing the influx. But the biggest gainers in this have for long being a few firms, whose near-monopoly costs the continent about $2 billion annually in remittance fees. However, a new breed of companies are causing much needed disruption in the money transfer market and are putting consumers back in control of their money.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- public policy, remittances
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OPINION: It’s time to better understand what makes primary health care work
Recent crises — from the earthquake in Nepal to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa — have been wake-up calls: too many primary health care systems are under-resourced and fragmented, leaving countries unprepared to reach everyone with needed health services. This is true when disasters strike, and it’s also true in times of relative calm.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Mexico’s Anti-Poverty Programmes Are Losing the Battle
While most of Latin America has been reducing poverty, Mexico is moving in the other direction: new official figures reflect an increase in the number of poor in the last two years, despite the billions of dollars channeled into a broad range of programmes aimed at combating the problem.
- Region
- Latin America
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Are Governments ‘Paying for Failure’ With Social Impact Bonds?
Three years ago, New York City launched an ambitious and unprecedented social policy experiment at its jail on Rikers Island. Thousands of teenage inmates began receiving group therapy aimed at improving their moral reasoning by addressing their beliefs and thought processes in a step-by-step treatment. The goal was to reduce the number of repeat offenses once the inmates were released. Academic studies using the method, known as moral reconation therapy, had reported success in reducing recidivism. Still, no one had ever scaled up these studies to accommodate anything like the 9,240 inmates the four-year Rikers Island program aimed to serve. This month, the program is coming to an abrupt end.
- Categories
- Environment, Impact Assessment
- Tags
- failure, impact bonds, public policy
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How Anti-Vaxxers Have Scared the Media Away From Covering Vaccine Side Effects
"It was the most startling side effect I've ever come across." That's how Elizabeth Miller, head of the immunization department at Public Health England, described some recent vaccine research you've probably never heard about: Pandemrix, a shot designed to stave off swine flu, also appears to be causing narcolepsy in some children.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Tags
- public policy, vaccines