Glossary

In governance and public administration, decentralization is commonly regarded as a

process through which powers, functions, responsibilities and resources are

transferred from central to local governments and/or to other decentralized entities. It is

a broad concept that can be both a means to improve the efficiency and effectiveness

of public services, and a way to promote the broader values of pluralistic, participatory

democracy.(1)

(1) United Nations Economic and Social Council, Definition of basic concepts and

One DALY can be thought of as one lost year of "healthy" life. The sum of these

DALYs across the population, or the burden of disease, can be thought of as a

measurement of the gap between current health status and an ideal health situation

where the entire population lives to an advanced age, free of disease and disability.(1)

The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is a measure of overall disease burden,

expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.

The practice of systematically spreading the influence of one culture over others by

means of physical and economic domination. Usually involves an assumption of

cultural superiority (ethnocentrism). (1)

(1) Glossary of communication, University of Jyväskylä

Mortality rate among all age groups and due to all causes. Often abbreviated CMR. (1)

(1) Checchi and Roberts, Interpreting and using mortality data in humanitarian

emergencies, ODI/HPN paper 52, 2005.