In the last twenty years, countries throughout the world have experienced severe bouts of financial instability. Banking crises have become so common that it is the rare country that has not experienced one, while full-scale financial crises have struck some economies with devastating effects. Financial instability, although a particularly severe problem for emerging-market countries which suff...

In Fiji and other Pacific Island countries, obesity has rapidly increased in the past decade. Therefore, several obesity prevention policies have been developed. Studies show that their development has been hampered by factors within Fiji's policy landscape such as pressure from industry. Since policymakers in the Fijian national government are primarily responsible for the development of obesi...

The narrative systematic review of 205 publications on the “relations between knowledge and action” in this issue concludes that “externally valid evidence about the efficacy of specific knowledge exchange strategies is unlikely to be forthcoming” because “collective knowledge exchange and use are. . . deeply embedded in organizational, policy, and institutional contexts” (Contandriopoulos et a...

Generally, we value forecasts for their accuracy. In some cases, however, the forecasts themselves are interesting because of what they reveal about the forecaster. Monetary policymaker forecasts are important because they partially reveal what policymakers believe will follow from their decisions. Forecasts of inflation and real output (whether made by Federal Reserve officials or private sect...

BACKGROUND Health systems evidence can enhance policymaking and strengthen national health systems. In the Middle East, limited research exists on the use of evidence in the policymaking process. This multi-country study explored policymakers' views and practices regarding the use of health systems evidence in health policymaking in 10 eastern Mediterranean countries, including factors that inf...

BACKGROUND Limited research exists on researchers' knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) in the eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). This multi-country study explores researchers' views and experiences regarding the role of health systems and policy research evidence in health policymaking in the EMR, including the factors that influence health policymaking, barriers and facilitators to the use ...

Before the 1970s, obesity prevalence—body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater—was creeping upward at a relatively slow rate (Flegal, 1996). However, between 1976 and 2005, the prevalence of obesity increased dramatically (Ogden et al. 2007). According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), obesity prevalence in 2007-2008 was 32.2% and 35.5% among adult males and females...

The of 2 The True Cost of Electric Power Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that, through its social science research, enables policymakers and stakeholders to make better, more informed decisions about energy, environmental, and natural resource issues. Founded in 1952 and located in Washington, DC, its research scope comprises initiatives in nations aroun...