THE WORLD BANK’S HEALTH POLICIES

Abstract

The World Bank is an important external funder of health aid to developing countries.
However, many accounts of health sector change and reform do not account for the role
that international financial institutions may play in these policy changes. In this paper,
I review the World Bank’s health policies since 1975, discussing its changing role and
policies for developing countries’ health policies. I then summarize the existing empirical
evidence for the effect of the World Bank in developing countries’ health sectors, focusing
on Latin American countries.