The Value of Family Planning Programs in Developing Countries

Family planning programs have been highly successful over the past 30 years in providing women in developing countries with desired access to contraceptive services and helping to reduce fertility rates. Notwithstanding this success, there is still an urgent need for these programs. The world's population is increasing, with annual population growth still approximately 80 million people. Nearly all of this growth is occurring in developing nations, where fertility rates remain relatively high. This high fertility runs counter to the preferences expressed by millions of women, who actually want to have smaller families. Family planning programs are also desirable because they are associated with a range of other benefits, most notably improvements in women's and children's health. Host countries provide about 60 to 75 percent of funding for family planning. However, funding and technical assistance from donor nations, especially the United States, have been crucial to the past success of family planning programs and are equally important for strengthening and expanding program efforts to meet future challenges.

Over the past 10 years, demographic research has produced importantscientific findings on social issues of global importance, such asmeeting the demand for contraception, managing immigration,reducing poverty, and anticipating the consequences of populationaging. Regrettably, this research is rarely noticed by or accessible topolicymakers, the media, and the general public when relevant policydeliberations occur. Frequently, the research is addressed only toscholarly audiences, and researchers seldom explain the implicationsof their work for policy development and implementation. Alltoo often, the results are missed opportunities to inform policydebates with scientific information.As a step toward addressing this problem, RAND has begun PopulationMatters, a program to synthesize and communicate the policy-relevantresults of demographic research. Using a variety of approaches and formats, the program is attempting to reach audiences that make and influence population policy in the United States and abroad. The products will attempt to balance scientific rigor with accessibility.The first issue we chose to examine was family planning in developingcountries. Family planning programs have been in place for more than 30 years in many regions of the world. In the industrial nations whose donations and technical assistance support these programs, they have been relatively noncontroversial and have enjoyed broad political support throughout most of their history. However, in recent years, donor nation support has shown signs of weakening. In the United States, traditionally the leading supporter of these programs, sharp ideological debates have surrounded the subject, and Congress has reduced program funding.Among the issues that Population Matters has chosen to study, familyplanning is somewhat unusual in that there is a substantial amount of research and factual information on the subject that is specifically addressed to policymakers. However, much of the existing material is likely to viewed skeptically by policy audiences. Much of it is associated with advocacy groups or an ideological point of view and thus is prone to be perceived as yet another partisan contribution to the debate rather than objective information. Our aim in producing this synthesis of the relevant research was to provide an objective and balanced account of what these programs have accomplished, whether they are still needed, and why donor nations, especially the United States, should care. We hope that the report will help provide a more scientific basis for debating the merits offamily planning programs.This report was produced with financial assistance from the Williamand Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and theUnited Nations Population Fund. It should be of interest to policyaudiences and general readers interested in demographic and populationissues.The Population Matters project is being conducted within RAND'sLabor and Population Program.For further information on the Population Matters project, contactJulie DaVanzo, DirectorPopulation MattersRANDP.O. Box 21381700 Santa Monica, CA 90407-1238Email: Julie_DaVanzo@rand.