Karen Hardee

Development in global health is addressed by a complex array of institutions working as “global action networks” (GANs). Network theory suggests a fluidity of connections that is not reflected in most GANs, which are, instead, institutionalized arrangements. We describe the case of a GAN that was ad hoc and temporary. The network successfully produced several now widely used tools for ensuring data quality in systems for monitoring and evaluating programs to reduce the spread of HIV. The ad hoc GAN reflected many of the typical characteristics of GANs, but also exhibited some unique characteristics. Ad hoc GANs focusing on a particular task can be highly adaptive and efficient. We need to learn and foster the circumstances that give rise to them.

In 1991 the Egyptian Ministry of Health introduced a new training program for family planning nurses. The training program stressed the development of nurses' counseling skills. As part of the Operations Research Program, sponsored by Family Health International in collaboration with the Egypt National Family Planning Board, managerial staff from family planning agencies designed and implemented a study to evaluate

The 2012 London Summit on Family Planning refocused attention on family planning, garnering much-needed support for the goal of reenergizing and expanding programs in 69 low- and medium-income countries "to enable 120 million more women…to use contraceptives by 2020."s Although the response to the summit's initiative (referred to as "FP2020") was generally positive, reproductive health and rights advocates expressed concern that the focus on a numeric goal was a retreat from the 1994 consensus of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which promoted rights and repudiated targets.2-5 Following the London Summit, some advocates questioned how the ambitious goal of the initiative might be achieved, and at least one commenter raised the specter of coercion-without the proper safeguards, would the rights of women, ostensibly the center of the initiative, be protected?

Acknowledgments This study was prepared by the Demographic Institute, Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia, and was made possible through the Women’s Studies Project at Family Health International with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, contract number 4407 (revised January 26, 1996). The authors would like to thank Dr. N. Haidy A. Pasay, the Director of the Demographic Institute, for his support to conduct this study. We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Prof. Aris Ananta, and Prof. I.G.N. Agung for their statistical advice, Dr. Jack Molyneaux and Mr. Sugiharso for their assistance in the IFLS data management, and Ms. Sutji Rochani for her inputs in developing the proposal and interview guidelines for the qualitative study. Thanks to friends at Yayasan Kusuma Buana, especially Dr. Firman Lubis and Ms. Shita Mumpuningdyah,who provided support and training facilities to strengthen analysis of the in- depth interview. We would also like to t...

... Full choice among a variety of contraceptive offerings is yet to be attained in many countries. Its absence restricts personal access to each method as well as the use of all methods in the population. To the extent that the ability to choose satisfactory contraceptive protection ...