‘Poverty, Inequality and Social

Change in Children’s Lives’ Professor Jo Boyden

Director, Young Lives

18th September 2014

BACKGROUND

CHILDREN ARE CENTRAL TO

DEVELOPMENT

• Childhood is a critical phase in the life-course; the first 1,000

days of life are key to future outcomes

• Never before in human history has so much been invested in

children – in their current wellbeing and in securing their future as

healthy, productive adults

Why is this?

• Child development and national development are mutually

reinforcing - the economic performance of nations depends on

‘successful’ child outcomes, while economic growth & services

promote child development

• Reaping the demographic dividend; large young populations in

many countries.

• At least 200 million children in low- and middle-income

countries fail to achieve their developmental potential

• Poverty increases young children’s exposure to biological and

psychosocial risks - affecting development through changes in

brain structure and function, and behaviour

• Four key risk factors: stunting, inadequate cognitive stimulation,

iodine deficiency, and iron deficiency anaemia

• Risks often occur together, with cumulative effect

(Walker, et al. 2007. Child development: risk factors for

adverse outcomes in developing countries. The Lancet)

THE CHALLENGE

YOUNG LIVES

YOUNG LIVES • Interdisciplinary study that aims to:

- improve understanding of the determinants and outcomes of childhood

poverty

- provide evidence to improve policies & practice

• Following nearly 12,000 children in 4 countries: Ethiopia; India

(Andhra Pradesh & Telangana); Peru and Vietnam, over 15 years

• Two age cohorts in each country:

- 2,000 children born in 2000-01

- 1,000 children born in 1994-95

• Pro-poor sample: around 80 sites across the 4 countries, reflecting

country diversity (rural-urban, diverse livelihoods, ethnicity etc.; roughly

equal numbers of boys and girls)

• Started in 2002, with 5 survey rounds and 4 waves of qualitative research

• Key partners in India: Centre for Economic and Social Studies

(Hyderabad), Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam (Women’s University

in Tirupati), and Save the Children India

Core narratives:

• Life-course analysis: what shapes children’s development and well-being and what matters most at which ages

• What inequality means for children: implications of disparities in risk exposure and deprivation by social group and locality

• The changing influences in children’s lives: the risks and opportunities in children’s living environments (household circumstances, services, infrastructure, information and communications technology etc.) and how are they changing.

Priority topics:

• School effectiveness and learning: including enrolment, learning, progression, retention, relevance

• Health and nutrition: including stunting, food security and access to water & sanitation

• Youth and development: including marriage & fertility, transition to /aspirations for employment & higher education

CONCEPTUALISATION

POVERTY, INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL

CHANGE

WHAT DOES A DECADE IN CHILDREN’S

LIVES SHOW?

• The economies of all four Young Lives countries grew rapidly in the

first decade of the 21st Century (2002-2012)

• This growth was accompanied by broad infrastructural improvements

and increased service access (associated with the MDGs) e.g.

– in Peru access to safe water increased by 50% between 2002 and 2009

– internet access is now pervasive in Vietnam

– increased external investment, road and communications infrastructure in

Ethiopia

• Modern economies require schooled, not working, children:

– primary school enrolment = near universal across the sample in 3 of our

countries and rapidly increasing in Ethiopia

EDUCATION IS SEEN AS THE ROUTE OUT

OF POVERTY

• Children and their families have high aspirations for

education:

We’re not going to suffer like this in the mud ...it’s better

that I go and study. (Marta, 15 years, Peru)

If one can learn and study hard, they will always have a good

job at the end that can change their family’s life. (Fatuma,

15 years, Ethiopia)

You get better jobs if you study and you have a better life

and can marry an educated husband. (Harika, 16 years old,

rural Telangana)

24 % of older cohort children in India were in private schools

at 8 years of age in 2001 and this percentage had doubled

for the younger cohort by 2009

Under-nutrition rates remain damagingly high in all four countries:

• Early under-nutrition is associated with a range of negative outcomes in

learning, school progression

• Stunting rates at 12 years range from 30% in AP/T (combined) to 20% in

Vietnam.

• In all countries, the poorest 1/3 of children are typically twice as likely to

be stunted as the least poor third

Early childhood care and education interventions are vital to build

strong foundations for children’s development:

• Prioritise child under-nutrition - health, sanitation and food security

• Maximise the reach and quality of ECCE services like ICDS focussing on the

poorest children

• Social protection measures to support households with young children

We find that some children catch up in growth and learning and are

trying to understand which ones and under what circumstances:

• Remedial interventions during middle childhood

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FOUNDATIONS?

• Higher GDP per capita in Peru, Vietnam and India have not removed

multiple deprivations experienced by:

• rural children, ethno-linguistic minority children and those

whose mothers have no or low education

• Typically, half of older cohort in Vietnam, Peru and India report being

in education or training at age 19, but:

• young men are a third more likely than young women to be

enrolled at this age, and

• young people in urban areas twice as likely as those in rural

areas

• Retention and effective progression through school are vital for skill

development, but:

• only 1 in 5 of the Ethiopia older cohort had completed primary

school by age 15, though 90% were still enrolled

• And recent economic growth has promoted insufficient quality jobs

AND WHAT ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES?

• No better or more efficient societal investment than in securing strong

child development

• Addressing child poverty is key for wider poverty reduction and

economic growth

• This means integrated measures combining child services with social

protection for households with young children

• But:

• attention to equity and social justice is absolutely key

• far greater awareness is needed of the sacrifices children and

families make in trying to meet aspirations, often with very poor

returns

• What about youth employment?

FINAL REFLECTIONS