Over the past decade, a number of national or state-level reforms have been implemented by governments that are committed to expanding health coverage through “demand-side” (third-party) financing models, to reach the poorest and informal sectors of their populations.  These reforms are ambitious in their goals, but challenging to implement successfully.  Many organizations and initiatives currently provide helpful policy assistance for and generate valuable information on these new and innovative reforms.

Funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), UK through its Governance and Transparency Fund, the Strengthening Institutions program is a joint effort of the Global Development Network and the Results for Development Institute.  The program aims to strengthen the analytical underpinnings of the policy debates around public expenditure priorities in developing countries by providing technical and financial support to fifteen emerging think tanks worldwide to conduct analyses of spending in the health, education, and water sectors.

The Transparency and Accountability Program (TAP) strengthens the capacity of independent monitoring organizations (IMOs) in low- and middle-income countries to promote improvements in social sector public spending and better hold their governments accountable for expenditure decisions and actions. The core of TAP is a competitive small grants program that enables participating IMOs to complete original analytical and advocacy work on a specific topic in public expenditures in their country.

Leadership is an essential element of successful, scaled-up, and sustainable health systems. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Ministerial Leadership Initiative for Global Health (MLI) brings together expertise in leadership development and specialized technical areas needed to design and successfully implement health sector reforms.