The rela(onship between the Global Food Security Index and women s reproduc(ve health:

Transcription

1 The rela(onship between the Global Food Security Index and women s reproduc(ve health: GFSI variable correla/on Prepared for: Aspen Global Health & Development 18 June 2015

2 The global community is transi/oning into the era of the sustainable development goals. As these goals are mutually reinforcing, so to must solu/ons be crosscujng and more holis/c in nature. The Aspen Ins/tute s Global Leaders Council for Reproduc/ve Health has long championed sexual and reproduc/ve health and rights (SRHR) as drivers of progress toward a broad range of sustainable development goals, including food security. Through a partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the Aspen Ins/tute s Global Leaders Council for Reproduc/ve Health sought to explore correla/ons between the EIU s Food Security Index and demographic and reproduc/ve health indicators. Since 2012, DuPont has commissioned the EIU to produce the innova/ve Global Food Security Index (GFSI) a benchmarking model that provides a common framework for understanding the root causes of food insecurity. The GFSI presents data rela/ng to the quality, safety and affordability of food for 109 countries This inquiry yielded important new findings that will help inform decision makers establish policy, program, and funding priori/es. As you will see in greater detail in subsequent pages of this brief report, progress in food security is highly correlated with progress in reproduc/ve health. 2

3 The most food insecure countries also have: the weakest investments in health, including reproduc/ve health high fer/lity rates and low contracep/ve prevalence rates high neonatal, infant, and maternal mortality rates Women and girls play a cri/cal role in producing the household food supply and are a growing por/on of the agricultural workforce. When their reproduc/ve health needs are met, women and their children are healthier and they are more likely to complete their educa/on, strengthening prospects for household food security and poverty allevia/on. Women for whom food is more affordable are more likely to have low maternal and infant mortality rates. Where women and girls have more years of educa/on, popula/ons are more food secure. These findings point to the cri/cal need for decisionmakers to link ac/on in addressing food security to na/onal strategies across sectors. As this new data suggests, the food security crisis will not be solved by focusing on food security and agriculture alone. 3

4 Introduc(on The Aspen Ins/tute s Global Health team is interested in understanding the rela/onship between women s reproduc/ve health and global food security. Since 2012, DuPont has commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit to produce the innova/ve Global Food Security Index a benchmarking model that provides a common framework for understanding the root causes of food insecurity. The Global Food Security Index: ranks 109 countries according to their rela/ve levels of food security using 28 measures divided into three categories: Affordability; Availability; Quality & Safety. The EIU has explored the correla/ons between food security and the following topics for middle- and low- income countries (76 countries), unless otherwise stated: o Fer/lity rates o Sex ra/o at birth o Contracep/ve prevalence o Life expectancy o Mortality rates o Teenage pregnancy o Young Adolescent adult popula/on rates o Household size o Health worker density and public health expenditure o Educa/on o Antenatal care o Labour force par/cipa/on rates 1

5 The 2015 Global Food Security Index Key objective: to create a quantitative approach to evaluating the dynamics of food systems and the ability of countries to feed their populations Topline results: top and bocom performers 2

6 I. Countries with food security challenges have high fer(lity rates and low contracep(ve rates In food insecure countries, women have a higher average number of children Countries that are more food secure have higher contracep/ve prevalence rates Correla(on between fer(lity rate and overall GFSI score (R= -.80) Correla(on between contracep(ve prevalence rate and overall GFSI score (R=.75) Peru Turkey Mexico Botswana South Africa Malaysia For example, Botswana, Malaysia, and South Africa perform well in the GFSI and also have low fer/lity rates (2.62, 1.96 and 2.39, respec/vely). For example, Peru, Turkey, and Mexico perform well with both food security and high contracep/ve rates (73.5, 74.2 and 72.6, respec/vely). Indicators considered: Fer/lity rate (World Bank), contracep/ve prevalence rate (UNDESA), unmet need for contracep/on (UNDESA) and female popula/on under the age of 24 (UN). Note: Countries included in all the correla/ons are middle- and low- income countries. 3

7 I. Countries with food security challenges have high fertility rates and low contraceptive rates (cont d) High fer(lity and low contracep(ve prevalence rates vs GFSI Score Country name Fer(lity rate Contracep(ve prevalence rate 2015 GFSI score Niger Mali Chad Burundi Nigeria Congo (Dem. Rep.) Uganda GFSI score is based on a 100- point scale Angola Burkina Faso Tanzania

8 I.a. Family planning needs can be assessed by studying contracep(on use and the unmet need for contracep(on Total demand for family planning is composed of 1) total contracep/ve use (including modern methods) and 2) unmet need for contracep/on The column chart above indicates the global trends in demand and use of contracep/on: o Total demand for family planning has increased substan/ally, driven by higher contracep/ve use. o There s/ll remains a large unmet need for contracep/on. 5

9 I.b. Fertility and contracep(on rates have a strong relationship with food affordability 1 er(lity rate and affordability (R= -.81) Bulgaria Profile 2015 GFSI model Of all the GFSI categories, the Affordability category shows the strongest correla/ons with fer/lity (R= -.81) and contracep/on (R=.76) rates. Correla(on between contracep(ve prevalence rate and affordability (R=.76) The rela/onship holds for unmet need for contracep/on as well: in countries with higher unmet need, food affordability is lower (R= -.73). Possible explana/ons include o Women with larger household incomes can afford contracep/on. o Educa/on and income are ojen highly correlated, and more educated women are more likely to want family planning. 1 The GFSI Affordability category measures the ability of consumers to purchase food, their vulnerability to price shocks and the presence of programmes and policies to support them when shocks occur. It is comprised of: food consump/on as a share of household expenditure, propor/on of the popula/on under the global poverty line, gross domes/c product per capita (PPP), agricultural import tariffs, presence of food safety net programmes and access to financing for farmers. 6

10 I.c. The relationship between the GFSI and unmet need for family planning methods is stronger in urban areas than in rural areas Correla(on between unmet need for contracep(on and overall GFSI score in urban areas (R= -.66) Correla(on between unmet need for contracep(on and overall GFSI score in rural areas (R= -.52) Possible explana/ons for the absence of a strong rela/onship between food security and family planning in rural areas include: o In rural areas, where agriculture drives the economy, women may want more children for labour and income purposes. 1 Thus, they have less demand for contracep/on and, hence, a lower unmet need, despite less access to contracep/ve methods. o In addi/on, women in rural areas may be less aware of available contracep/on methods and their poten/al upsides. 1 hkp:// EP- 9- EGM- RW- Sep pdf 7

11 I.d. Countries that have seen major improvements in food security have also experienced large decreases in fer(lity rates Fer(lity rates GFSI rank Δ * GFSI score Δ * Country name Δ Ethiopia Rwanda Uganda Benin Malawi Cameroon Kenya Sudan Ghana Tanzania Within the subset of countries from the Global Food Security Index that the EIU has explored in depth (see footnote), the countries in the table demonstrated a significant decrease in the number of births per woman. These countries have seen the largest decrease in their fer/lity rates since Note: A subset of countries from the Global Food Security Index were dis/nguished as key improvers either demonstra/ng significant improvement in overall GFSI score since the 2012 index or establishing socioeconomic measures that should improve food security. These countries are: Algeria, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Cote d'ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia. While most of these countries have experienced improvements in food security, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia unexpectedly experienced score deteriora/ons. When looking at the other variables par/cularly fer/lity and family planning Ghana and Zambia have also only demonstrated moderate, if any, improvement. * Nega(ve rank change indicates a posi(ve movement (or improvement) in food security rela(ve to other countries in the index. Score changes are based off of mul(variate analysis rather than GFSI expert panel weights. 8

12 I.e. Countries with major improvements in food security have experienced large increases in contraception demand Bulgaria Profile 2015 GFSI model Total demand for contracep(on Rwanda Ethiopia Malawi Kenya Zambia Tanzania Senegal Cote d'ivoire Uganda Sudan Botswana India Bolivia Morocco Peru Cameroon Benin Sri Lanka Ecuador Egypt Ghana Algeria Viet nam Unmet need for contracep(on Change in contracep(on use (any method) Rwanda Ethiopia Malawi Kenya Zambia Tanzania Senegal Cote d'ivoire Uganda Sudan Botswana India Bolivia Morocco Peru Cameroon Benin Sri Lanka Ecuador Egypt Ghana Algeria Viet nam Rwanda Ethiopia Malawi Kenya Zambia Tanzania Senegal Cote d'ivoire Uganda Sudan Botswana India Bolivia Morocco Peru Cameroon Benin Sri Lanka Ecuador Egypt Ghana Algeria Viet nam - 2 Substan/al increases in - 4 contracep/ve use

13 II. Food insecure countries face high neonatal, infant and maternal mortality rates Bulgaria Profile 2015 GFSI model Correla(on between neonatal mortality ra(o and overall GFSI score (R= -.78) ) Correla(on between infant mortality ra(o and overall GFSI score (R= -.78) Correla(on between maternal mortality ra(o and overall GFSI score (R= -.83) Infant, neonatal and maternal mortality rates demonstrate similar correla/on pakerns with the GFSI, sugges/ng that there is a strong nega/ve rela/onship between maternal and child health and food security. Indicators considered: maternal mortality ra/o (WHO), infant mortality ra/o (World Bank) and neonatal mortality ra/o (World Bank). 10

14 II. Countries with high maternal mortality rates have low GFSI Scores (cont d) Highest scores for maternal mortality rates (in middle- and low- income countries) Lowest scores for maternal mortality rates (in middle- and low- income countries) Maternal mortality rates vs GFSI score Country name Maternal mortality ra(o (per 100,000 live births) 2015 GFSI Score Belarus Bulgaria 5 61 Hungary Serbia Turkey Ukraine Thailand Kazakhstan Azerbaijan Malaysia Maternal mortality rates vs GFSI score Country Name Maternal mortality ra(o (per 100,000 live births) 2015 GFSI Score Mali Nigeria Cameroon Niger Guinea Cote d Ivoire Congo (Dem. Rep.) Burundi Chad Sierra Leone

15 II.a. Women for whom food is more affordable are more likely to have low maternal and infant mortality rates The GFSI Affordability category has the strongest nega/ve correla/on with mortality. o Specifically, the indicator presence of food safety net programmes in the affordability category has the highest nega/ve correla/on with all of the mortality indicators. o The rela/onship between presence of food safety net programmes and maternal mortality is -.85, which demonstrates the importance of affordable food to lowering mortality rates. In countries where there are extensive food safety net programmes, the maternal mortality ra/o is lower. 12

16 II.b. Poor nutrition contributes substantially to maternal and infant deaths About 80% of maternal deaths are the result of five direct obstetric causes: hemorrhage, infec/on, obstructed labour, unsafe abor/on and a convulsive disorder in late pregnancy called eclampsia. 1 The WHO has es/mated that 14 and 51% of pregnant women in developed and developing countries respec/vely have anemia. In India, that figure is 65-75%, and it is es/mated that anemia is directly or indirectly responsible for 40% of maternal deaths. 2 Pregnant women who experienced stun/ng as children are more likely to undergo obstructed labour, which is responsible for 8% of all maternal deaths. 3 Micronutrient deficiencies among pregnant women put mothers and children at higher risk of death: o A study in Nepal has demonstrated that providing undernourished women with a recommended dietary amount of vitamin A can lower mortality risk related to pregnancy and childbirth. 4 o Zinc deficiency is associated with long labour and may impair foetal development. o Iodine deficiency in women increases the risk of s/llbirths and miscarriages. 1 Martorell, Reynaldo, 'The Role of Nutri/on in Economic Development', Nutri/on Reviews, Vol. 54, No. 4, April 1996, p. S70. 2 DeMayer EM, Tegman A. Prevalence of anaemia in the World. World Health Organ Qlty 1998; 38 : ; Ezza/ M, Lopus AD, Dogers A, Vander HS, Murray C. Selected major risk factors and global and regional burden of disease. Lancet 2002; 360 : Neilson J, Lavender T, Quenby S, Wray S. Obstructed labour. Bri/sh Medical Bulle/n. 2003;67: West KP, Vitamin A deficiency as a preventable cause of maternal mortality in undernourished socie/es: plausibility and next steps, Int J Gynaecol Obstet Jun;85 Suppl 1:S

17 III. In countries where women and girls have more years of education, populations tend to be more food secure In countries that are more food secure, women akend school longer and have higher literacy rates Correla(on between mean years of schooling and overall GFSI score (R=.80) Correla(on between adult literacy rate and overall GFSI score (R=.73) Indicators considered: Female adult literacy rate (UIS UNESCO) and mean years of schooling (UIS UNESCO). 14

18 III.a. Food security is more highly correlated with years of schooling than with literacy Although female adult literacy rates have a high posi/ve correla/on with food security (R=0.73), the rela/onship between mean years of schooling and food security is even stronger (R=0.80). This suggests that environments in which female educa/on, and not just literacy, is a priority are also environments where elements conducive to food security (such as high incomes, programmes to provide food safety nets and farmer financing all metrics considered within the Affordability category of the GFSI) are prevalent. Correla(on between mean years of schooling and affordability (R=.83) 15

19 III.b. A strong rela(onship exists between mothers and children s health and educa(on The literature shows that in countries where women receive more educa/on, reproduc/ve health outcomes and maternal health improve, while infant mortality and fer/lity rates decrease: An extra year of schooling can reduce infant mortality by 5% to 10% and reduce fer/lity rates by 10%. 1 More than half (51.2%) of the reduc/ons in child mortality under 5 years between 1970 and 2009 can be akributed to increased educa/onal akainment in women of reproduc/ve age. 2 1 Educa/on For All Global Monitoring Report. United Na/ons Educa/onal, Scien/fic, and Cultural Organiza/on hkp://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/ 0019/001902/190214e.pdf 2 Gakidou, Emmanuela et al. Increased educa/onal akainment and its effect on child mortality in 175 countries between 1970 and 2009: a systema/c analysis. The Lancet, Volume 376, Issue 9745,

20 III.c. In countries where the number of years that women acend school has risen, there have generally been food security improvements Mean years of schooling GFSI rank GFSI score Country name Δ Net change Δ * Δ * Egypt Peru Bolivia Algeria Malawi Uganda Vietnam Ghana Rwanda Botswana From the subset of countries in the Global Food Security Index that saw the most improvement in food security (see footnote), the countries in this table also demonstrated a significant increase in mean years of schooling over a short period of /me. Note: A subset of countries from the Global Food Security Index were dis/nguished as key improvers either demonstra/ng significant improvement in overall GFSI score since the 2012 index or establishing socioeconomic measures that should improve food security. These countries are: Algeria, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Cote d'ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia. While most of these countries have experienced improvements in food security, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia unexpectedly experienced score deteriora/ons. When looking at the other variables par/cularly fer/lity and family planning Ghana and Zambia have also only demonstrated moderate, if any, improvement. * Nega(ve rank change indicates a posi(ve movement (or improvement) in food security rela(ve to other countries in the index. Score changes are based off of mul(variate analysis rather than GFSI expert panel weights. 17

21 IV. Both public health expenditure and the concentra(on of doctors in a country have a strong rela(onship with food security Correla(on between public health expenditure per capita and overall GFSI score (R=.86) Countries where high GDPs drive food security also spend more on public health. Those countries that can invest more into public health spending also tend to be countries where there is a higher density of doctors. Correla(on between doctors per 1,000 and overall GFSI score (R=.71) In 2004, the World Health Organisa/on found that high income countries had the highest propor/on of the world s public health expenditure and physicians, and the smallest propor/on of the global burden of disease. 1 In contrast, low income na/ons had the lowest propor/on of the world s public health expenditure and physicians, and the highest propor/on of the global burden of disease. 2 Indicators considered: public health expenditure per capita, interna/onal $ (World Bank), doctors per 1,000 (World Bank) and health worker density (WHO). 1 Scheffler et al., Forecas/ng the global shortage of physicians: an economic- and needs- based approach, Bulle/n of the World Health Organiza/on, Volume 86, no. 7 (July 2008): Ibid. 18

22 IV.a. Health worker density correlates with food affordability in middle- and low- income countries Correla(on between health worker density and affordability (R=.64) Countries with a higher concentra/on of health workers also have more affordable food While the concentra/on of doctors in middle- and low- income countries is lower than in higher- income countries, the number of health workers (including midwives, nurses and culture- specific healers) in these countries is high. o The governments of middle- and low- income countries do not have the economic capacity to train physicians. Instead, they rely on health workers. 1 Thus, the more food secure of these middle- and low- income countries have a higher presence of health workers. o This correla/on does not hold when higher- income countries are considered because richer countries have a greater presence of formal doctors than health workers. 1 Scheffler et al., Forecas/ng the global shortage of physicians: an economic- and needs- based approach, Bulle/n of the World Health Organiza/on, Volume 86, no. 7 (July 2008):

23 IV.b. In countries where popula(ons are more food secure, women tend to receive care before and during birth Correla(on between antenatal care coverage and overall score (R=.73) Correla(on between skilled acendants at birth and overall score (R=.79) Barriers that prevent women from seeking or receiving antenatal care include lack of perceived risk of well- being, limited financial resources (from cost of transport or wages lost) and lack of resources in the antenatal facili/es, which can discourage women from seeking further care. 1 When governments spend more on healthcare, there is an overall greater u/lisa/on of maternal health services, including skilled birth akendants and C- sec/ons. 2 1 Finlayson, K and Soo Downe. Why Do Women Not Use Antenatal Services in Low- and Middle- Income Countries? A Meta- Synthesis of Qualita/ve Studies. PLoS Med 10(1): e (2013), doi: /journal.pmed Kruk ME, Galea S, Prescok M, Freedman LP. Health care financing and u/liza/on of maternal health services in developing countries. Health Policy Plan. 2007;22:

24 V. The rela(onship between women s labour force par(cipa(on rates and food security is weak An increase in female labour force par/cipa/on does not necessarily align with higher food security Correla(on between female labor force par(cipa(on rate and overall score (R= -.45) Indicators considered: Female labor force par/cipa/on rate (World Bank; ILO). 21

25 V.a. A linear rela(onship does not exist between labour force par(cipa(on rates and country income levels (GDP per capita) Female labour force par/cipa/on (LFP) rates vary widely across country income groups. Economic evidence demonstrates a U- shaped rela/onship 1 between par/cipa/on rates and GDP per capita: o Ojen, the least developed countries have the highest rates of women s par/cipa/on because women are driven by necessity to work. They mainly are employed in subsistence agriculture or home- based produc/on. o As countries develop economically, the number of females par/cipa/ng in the workforce drops, a result of improved educa/onal opportuni/es, social safety nets, family support and re/rement. o In higher income countries, women start to reenter the labour force, resul/ng higher par/cipa/on rates. Data for 169 countries show a U- shaped rela(onship between GDP per capita and labour force par(cipa(on rates (2010) 2 1 Goldin, C. "The U- Shaped female labor force func/on in economic development and economic history" In: Schultz, T. P. (ed) Investment in Women s Human Capital and Economic Development, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, Female labor force par/cipa/on in developing countries. IZA World of Labor 2014: 87 22

26 V.b. There is also a U- shaped rela(onship between food security and labour force par(cipa(on rates Food security and GDP per capita are highly correlated, and analysis shows a (weak) inverse rela/onship between food security and labour force par/cipa/on rates for women in low and lower- middle income countries and a (weak) posi/ve correla/on between food security and labour force par/cipa/on rates for women in high income countries. Low Income: Correla(on between labor force par(cipa(on rate, female, and overall GFSI score (R= -.52) High Income: Correla(on between labor force par(cipa(on rate, female, and overall GFSI score (R=.47) 23

27 Conclusions Correla/ons between the GFSI, its component indicators and variables related to women s reproduc/ve health and educa/on have resulted in the following conclusions: o Countries with higher food security challenges tend to have high fer/lity rates and low contracep/on rates high neonatal, infant and maternal mortality rates low mean years of schooling low public health expenditure and concentra/on of doctors. o Countries where women s labour force par/cipa/on rates are higher are not necessarily countries that are more food secure. More women in low- income countries are forced to enter the labour force out of need, which throws off the linear rela/onship between food security and labour force par/cipa/on rates. 24

28 Conclusions (cont d) There were a number of variables that did not have a strong rela/onship with food security scores. The following variables did not have high correla/ons: o Sex ra/o at birth o Life expectancy (female to male ra/o) o Adolescent fer/lity rate o Teenage pregnancy o Teenage pregnancy, urban o Teenage pregnancy, rural o Labour force par/cipa/on rate, female o Household size, mean The lack of a meaningful correla/on between household size and food security is of par/cular interest. However, further explora/on illuminates why this rela/onship does not hold: o Family size is not comparable across all countries: in some countries it might only refer to a nuclear family, while in others the extended family is counted. It can be based on the number of persons living in a house rather than on the size of a tradi/onal nuclear family. o For example, in Senegal, where polygamy is a common phenomenon, the average family size is 9.3 persons, the largest of any country in the index. In contrast, the fer/lity rate for women is just 4.9 births, which is significantly lower than many other countries in Sub- Saharan Africa. Senegal has a moderate food security score when compared with the other 75 middle- and low- income countries included in the GFSI (it ranks 47th out of 76), but its high average family size throws off the correla/on between food security and family size. 25

29 Appendix I Indicators that do not correlate strongly with food security WEF Global Gender Gap, health and survival Indicator Overall GFSI Availability Affordability Quality & Safety Sex ra(o at birth Life expectancy (female to male ra(o) Adolescent fer(lity rate (World Bank) Adolescent specific indicators Teenage pregnancy (DHS) Teenage pregnancy, urban (DHS) Teenage pregnancy, rural (DHS) Economic par(cipa(on indicator Family size Labour force par(cipa(on rate, female (ILO) Household size, mean (DHS)

30 Appendix II Addi(onal indicators that have a strong rela(onship with food security Indicator Overall GFSI Availability Affordability Quality & Safety Adult literacy rates, female Antenatal care coverage, +4 visits Contracep(ve prevalence rate Doctors per 1, Fer(lity rate Fer(lity rate, rural Fer(lity rate, urban Health worker density Infant mortality ra(o Maternal mortality ra(o Mean years of schooling, female Modern contracep(ve prevalence rate Neonatal mortality ra(o Popula(on under 24 years of age, female Public health expenditure per capita, interna(onal $ Skilled acendance at birth Unmet need for contracep(on Unmet need for contracep(on, urban

31 Appendix III Key improver countries Key improvers Δ in score from (expert panel assigned weights) Δ in reproduc(ve health and educa(on indicators Overall Score Affordability Availability Quality & Safety Fer(lity rates Contracep(ve prevalence rates Algeria Benin Bolivia Botswana Cameroon Cote d Ivoire Ecuador Egypt Ethiopia Ghana India Kenya Malawi Morocco Peru Rwanda Senegal Sri Lanka Sudan Tanzania Uganda Vietnam Zambia Mean years of schooling

32 The Aspen Ins(tute is an educa/onal and policy studies organiza/on based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpar/san venue for dealing with cri/cal issues. The Ins/tute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland s Eastern Shore. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an interna/onal network of partners. The Aspen Ins/tute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young- leader fellowships, policy programs, and public conferences and events. Aspen Global Health and Development, one of the largest policy programs at the Aspen Ins/tute, is a force for fresh thinking, unlikely collabora/ons, and nimble ac/on within the global health and development field. Today, GHD s small, dynamic team works on a collec/on of issue- specific ini/a/ves all aimed at catalyzing policy work that beker connects champions at the highest levels, development prac//oners in the field, and the poorest and most vulnerable on the ground. The Global Leaders Council for Reproduc(ve Health, established by the Aspen Ins/tute in 2010, is composed of sijng and former heads of state, high- level policymakers and other leaders who build poli/cal leadership for increased financial and technical support for reproduc/ve health. The Council works to revitalize poli/cal commitments to reproduc/ve health by increasing awareness of reproduc/ve health issues, suppor/ng the effec/ve use of donor resources, and championing policies dedicated to achieving universal access to reproduc/ve health. The Economist Intelligence Unit was created in 1946, The Economist Intelligence Unit is the world leader in global business intelligence. It is the business- to- business research arm of The Economist Group, which publishes The Economist newspaper, and provides detailed macroeconomic reports and analysis on 203 countries globally. The Economist Intelligence Unit helps execu/ves make beker decisions by providing /mely, reliable and impar/al analysis on worldwide market trends and business strategies. More informa/on can be found at or 32