The Global Family Planning Revolution: Three Decades of Population Policies and Programs

102 A trio of reports released in 2007—two from the World Bank, one from the UK Parliament— examine the past, present, and future of family planning programs. All three volumes highlight successes and failures; elucidate best practices and lessons learned; and offer recommendations for next steps. The Global Family Planning Revolution: Three Decades of Population Policies and Programs offers 23 case studies of early national family planning programs, tracing their progress from idea to completion and covering as many as 30 years of successes, failures, and adjustments. Editors Warren C. Robinson and John A. Ross boldly claim that these case studies—all written by key program personnel—comprise a history lesson for the next generation of family planning practitioners. The cases meticulously detail each program’s socio-economic, cultural, and political context, and include a full chronology of events. The reader is indeed left with a profound understanding of the family planning movement’s birth, struggle to grow, and ultimate success. The rich history in the case studies is supplemented by a powerful introduction from Steven Sinding, former director general of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Sinding provides a global context, presenting the key debates (such as the importance of family planning and the best methods for The Global Family Planning Revolution: Three Decades of Population Policies and Programs