the sustainable development goals (sdgs) offer a unique opportunity for policy-makers to build on the millennium development goals (mdgs) by adopting more sustainable approaches to addressing global development challenges. the delivery of health services is of particular concern. most african countries are unlikely to achieve the health mdgs, however, significant progress has been made particul...

BACKGROUND Unofficial payments in health services around the world are widespread and as varied as the health systems in which they occur. We reviewed the main lessons from social audits of petty corruption in health services in South Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan), Africa (Uganda and South Africa) and Europe (Baltic States). METHODS The social audits varied in purpose and scope. All covered rep...

Fighting corruption is a vital aspect of good governance. When assessing government performance voters should thus withdraw electoral support from government parties that turn a blind eye to or even engage in corrupt practices. Whereas most accounts of performance-based voting focus on economic outcomes, we analyse whether and to what extent voters punish incumbents for high levels of corruptio...

a major constraint to the application of any form of knowledge and principles is the awareness, understanding and acceptance of the knowledge and principles. systems thinking (st) is a way of understanding and thinking about the nature of  health systems and how to make and implement decisions within health systems to maximize desired and minimize undesired effects. a major constraint to applyi...

Financial incentives may provide a way of reducing the burden of chronic diseases by motivating people to adopt healthy behaviours. While it is still uncertain how effective such incentives could be for promoting health, some argue that, even if effective, there are ethical objections that preclude their use. One such argument is made by Michael Sandel, who suggests that monetary transactions c...