Includes bibliographical references (p. [235]-265) and index.

Health, economic development, and household poverty : the role of the health sector / Anne Mills, Sara Bennett, Lucy Gilson -- The consequences of population health for economic performance / Marcella Alsan ... [et al.] -- Illness and labour productivity : a case study from rural Kenya / Sydney Rosen, Jonathon Simon, and Matthew Fox -- Access and equity : evidence on the extent to which health services address the needs of the poor / Natasha Palmer -- Illness, health service costs and their consequences for households / Di McIntyre and Michael Thiede -- Coping with the costs of illness : vulnerability and resilience among poor households in urban Sri Lanka / Steven Russell -- Alternative approaches to extending health services to the poorest / Sara Bennett -- Targeting services towards the poor : a review of targeting mechanisms and their effectiveness / Kara Hanson, Eve Worrall, and Virginia Wiseman -- Protecting the poor from the cost of services through health financing reform / Sara Bennett and Lucy Gilson -- Building voice and agency of poor people in health : public action within health systems / Rene Loewenson -- Improving equity in health through health financing reform: a case study of the introduction of universal coverage in Thailand / Supasit Pannarunothai -- Promoting access, financial protection and empowerment for the poor : Vimo SEWA in India / M. Kent Ranson, Tara Sinha, and Mirai Chatterjee -- Conclusions : from evidence to action / Sara Bennett, Lucy Gilson, and Anne Mills.