Equity
EquityThis paper develops econometric models of skill formation that distill the essence of recent empirical findings from the literature on child development. The goal is to provide a theoretical framework for interpreting the evidence from a large empirical literature, for guiding the next generation of empirical studies, and for formulating factually based policy. The plan… Read more
This paper presents key findings from Young Lives school survey in Ethiopia conducted in 2009–10, contextualised by cross-sectional evidence from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. The findings suggest that educational exclusion operates through complex mechanisms which conspire to limit the access opportunities of disadvantaged children during the course of the education life-cycle. Exclusion is… Read more
Gradients across socio-economic position exist for many measures of children’s health and development in higher-income countries. These associations may not be consistent, however, among the millions of children living in lower- and middle-income countries. Our objective was to examine child development and growth in young children across socio-economic position in four developing countries. We used… Read more
The Child Support Grant (CSG) is an important instrument of social protection in South Africa, reaching over 10 million South African children each month. This report presents the findings of a research team’s analysis of a specially designed survey fielded in rural and urban areas of five South African provinces, supporting the rigorous impact assessment… Read more
Social and economic inequalities begin early. Presented in this paper is evidence that Early Childhood Development (ECD) can lead to gender equality and empowerment, better health and education outcomes, improved skills, abilities and productivity, narrow the income, ethnic, and geographic inequality gaps, provide timely intervention for persons with disabilities, and is a cost effective strategy… Read more
The rapid growth in social protection programs has been fueled in part by the promise of this approach to reduce poverty, including emerging findings on improved child health and education outcomes. In parallel, early childhood care and development (ECCD) is also gaining wide recognition as a robust and viable approach to building human capital and… Read more
This report describes some Save the Children US programs in Siraha, Nepal, and their effectiveness in improving educational opportunities and success for children in excluded dalit (untouchable) caste groups. It looks at the advantages of supports targeted specifically at dalits, and compares them to more broadly targeted efforts to improve the quality of education. Research… Read more
Published in collaboration with the Open University, Early Childhood in Focus offers accessible and clear reviews of the best and most recent available research, information and analysis on key policy issues, offering clear messages on core policy topics and questions. This publication, the fourth in the series, looks at the policy issues surrounding the early… Read more
In this video, Elaine Unterhalter discusses a rigorous literature review focused on girls’ education and gender equality, which she wrote with colleagues. It was commissioned by the Department for International Development (DFID) as part of a series on education. The central research question that the review set out to investigate concerned the kind of interventions… Read more
This working paper considers ways to tackle early drop-out and under-achievement at school. It examines transitions from both home and early childhood programmes, examining how the latter can be designed to address poverty and exclusion. It also looks at why the 6-8 year age group of 0-8s is typically ignored by professionals and policy-makers, and… Read more
This paper explores such diversity through a series of longitudinal case studies of young children in Peru, gathered as part of the Young Lives project. Twenty-eight children from four contrasting communities were interviewed in 2007 and again in 2008, in order to determine their views and experiences during the process of transition from home or… Read more