Is it reasonable to expect a thriving commercial market for family planning to develop without substantial economic development?
To the extent that commercial sector growth is tied to longer-term economic considerations, short-term policy interventions may have limited impact. It is important to be realistic about the potential size of the commercial sector, particularly in the poorer countries of the region. • Do governments use resources that are freed by the transfer of users to the commercial sector to expand or improve public sector services? Research should be conducted to determine both the quantity of public sector resources freed by commercial sector mobilization, and how the public sector uses these resources. If freed resources are not used to finance services for needier groups, it is difficult to justify investment in efforts to expand commercial sector services. • Does the introduction of social marketing save donor and public funding? Research should be conducted to determine if the introduction of social marketing induces users to switch from more highly subsidized sources and whether it reduces
