Abstract
We evaluate a development programme with an important maternal health care component in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The region and its mostly indigenous people experienced violent conflict in the past and face a constant risk of recurring conflict. Given this fragile setting, our work differs from conventional impact evaluations by incorporating two conflict indicators: the household’s actual experience of violence and fears of future violence. We find that the intervention undertaken by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) succeeded in boosting maternal health care utilisation: antenatal care (ANC) check-ups rose by 18 percentage points, while deliveries at health facilities increased by 23 percentage points. However, household experiences of violent conflict and perceptions of insecurity dampen maternal health care utilisation. Impacts on ANC check-ups are concentrated among households without experience of conflict (19 percentage points compared to 4 percentage points among households with such experience). And households without fears of violence see relatively larger impacts on deliveries at a health facility (37 percentage points compared to 11 percentage points). The programme is successful in raising maternal health care utilisation but its effectiveness has been constrained by the violence experienced and perceived by households.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 384-400 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Development Studies |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 20 Dec 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2020 |
Bibliographical note
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Development Studies on 20/12/2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00220388.2018.1554211Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
Funding
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility | |
| International Institute of Social Studies | |
| United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research | |
| Erasmus University Rotterdam | |
| Italian National Institute of Health |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Development
