Introduction to Symposium on Using the Young Lives Data to Study Child Poverty in Developing Countries
There is growing evidence on the importance of childhood development and well-being for long-term outcomes and poverty reduction
Abstract
There is growing evidence on the importance of childhood development and well-being for long-term outcomes and poverty reduction, in both developed and developing countries; yet much remains unknown.
Important gaps in our knowledge include:
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the dynamics of child development (what skills develop when, how skills interact in the developmental process, and at what age different investments yield the highest returns)
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the roles of different actors, including parents, family, schools, and communities, in the process of child development
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the relative effectiveness of specific interventions that are intended to reduce the adverse effects of poverty on child development
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the external validity of findings accumulated to date, which are often based on small nonrepresentative samples
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the mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of poverty, including how persistent poverty affects parents’ ability to make adequate investments in the human capital of their children.
Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty, following the lives of 12,000 children in 4 countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) over 15 years. Young Lives is funded by the UK Department for International Development.
Citation
Sofya Krutikova and Paul Glewwe. Introduction to Symposium on Using the Young Lives Data to Study Child Poverty in Developing Countries. Economic Development and Cultural Change 65, no. 4 (July 2017): 653-656.