This chapter discusses the absolute importance of a good start in early childhood as the foundati... more This chapter discusses the absolute importance of a good start in early childhood as the foundation for later human development. It focuses on two core development concerns: under-nutrition, and preschool circumstances and interventions. The Young Lives countries show progress in stunting reduction, notably in Peru where reducing under-nutrition has been given national importance. The ongoing prevalence of stunting nevertheless is a clear channel through which poverty in childhood results in disadvantaged development. Interventions to improve early childhood circumstances have been shown to work for the poorest children. Indeed, nutritional supplementation has been found to support healthy growth, especially for young children and poorer children. Interventions to support infants also have the potential to support mothers and primary caregivers. As these findings suggest, to ensure their survival, health, and development, young children need a multi-sectoral response.
Introduction: Child Poverty and the Centrality of Schooling Michael Bourdillon and Jo Boyden PART... more Introduction: Child Poverty and the Centrality of Schooling Michael Bourdillon and Jo Boyden PART I: POVERTY AND THE LIVES OF GROWING CHILDREN 1. How Does Where Children Live Affect How They Develop? Evidence from Communities in Ethiopia and Vietnam Paul Dornan and Maria Jose Ogando Portela 2. Family Socio-economic Status, Mother's Psychosocial Skills and Children's Human Capital: Evidence from Four Low- and Middle-Income Countries Andreas Georgiadis and Priscila Hermida 3. 'I Am Dependent On My Children's Support': Risk and Protective Factors for Children Experiencing Adverse Events Maria Jose Ogando Portela and Kirrily Pells 4. Gender, Agency and Poverty: Children's Everyday Experiences in Andhra Pradesh and Vietnam Gina Crivello, Vu Thi Thanh Huong and Uma Vennam PART II: HOW DOES SCHOOLING HELP THE POOR? 5. Schooling and Cognitive Outcomes from Childhood to Youth: A Longitudinal Analysis Caine Rolleston and Zoe James 6. Changes in Rural Children's Use...
This thesis combines ethnographic methods with feminist political analysis to examine Congolese y... more This thesis combines ethnographic methods with feminist political analysis to examine Congolese young people’s decision-making roles in families, households, communities and policy spaces in Kampala and Kyaka II refugee settlement, Uganda. As refugees and young people, research subjects face many structural constraints. However, their diverse experiences defy homogenising discourses of marginality as an inherent, fixed characteristic. Instead, this thesis develops and applies a conceptual framework of political marginalisation as a dynamic process in multiple spaces.Research findings show that young people’s decision-making roles vis-a-vis resource distribution and division of labour are relational and contextual. Their multiple subject positions and relationships in overlapping networks affect differential decision-making roles. In particular, social age and gender are major axes of decision-making processes. Analyses of inter-linkages across patterns of relationships reveal that r...
Young Lives is a cross-sequential two-cohort study of child poverty that has been conducted in Pe... more Young Lives is a cross-sequential two-cohort study of child poverty that has been conducted in Peru, Vietnam, India and Ethiopia since 2002. We draw on study findings to show how poverty and inequalities have shaped mathematical abilities and literacy from early childhood to adolescence. Using both descriptive data and path analysis, we trace the consequences for these abilities of poverty, minority and majority group membership, gender, rural and urban residence, and school quality. Proximal to the child we examine the effects of caregiver psychological well-being, support for learning in the home, and aspirations for the child’s future. At the level of the child, we examine the effects of stunted growth and recovery, as well as the manner in which early literacy and numeracy abilities are related to these competencies in adolescence. Following the call for developmental science to inform actions to realise the SDGs, we show that while investment in the early years is critical to b...
This chapter examines middle childhood. Skills and values developed during middle childhood build... more This chapter examines middle childhood. Skills and values developed during middle childhood build on foundations established in early childhood and set the stage for adolescence. Thus, it is vital that the momentum established in the early years is sustained through this important life phase. Young Lives evidence shows that children's growth trajectories are more dynamic during middle childhood than is often recognised. This finding suggests a wider policy opportunity. The evidence from systematic reviews points to the importance of measures such as social protection, which has been shown to increase livelihood security. With near-universal access to school during middle childhood, midday meals and other nutrition programmes in schools may also help support children's growth. Moreover, the focus on strengthened education and learning quality is especially important for the early grades, given that early performance in key areas such as literacy and numeracy lays the foundati...
In September 2000 the Refugees Studies Centre and the Centre for Child-Focused Anthropological Re... more In September 2000 the Refugees Studies Centre and the Centre for Child-Focused Anthropological Research of Brunel University hosted an International Consultation on Children in Adversity in Oxford. The 110 participants were brought together to share their knowledge research information and practitioner experience to promote a better understanding of children their development their capacities and vulnerabilities and the risks they face in highly detrimental settings. The participants divided into five working groups: refugee and displaced children children in armed conflict working children children and family incapacitation and children in deleterious institutional settings. The aim of the consultation was to increase understanding of the resilience and coping strategies of children exposed to highly stressful situations as well as the risks they face. It was proposed that recognition and support of childrens competencies and resourcefulness can encourage a move away from a focus o...
The papers making up this Special Section reveal important findings and begin to fill gaps in exi... more The papers making up this Special Section reveal important findings and begin to fill gaps in existing literature about children’s and young people’s understanding and developing beliefs about socio-economic inequality and poverty. We draw on our research experience with children growing up in poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam (Young Lives) from the perspective of sociology of childhood and social anthropology. The commentary discusses the papers in the Special Section and calls for policies and practices that argue for social justice for children and young people in political and economic terms and emphasizes the importance of including children’s views and descriptions of their experiences in research about poverty and inequality.
This introductory chapter provides a background of the Young Lives study, which began in 2001. Yo... more This introductory chapter provides a background of the Young Lives study, which began in 2001. Young Lives was set up during a period of optimism for global development associated with the Millennium Declaration, with the aim of informing the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty. At the time, data on child poverty in low- and middle-income countries were scarce and inconsistent. It was clear, however, that this was a very significant problem. Young Lives has been collecting detailed information on a wide range of topics — including health, nutrition, education, time use, and psychosocial wellbeing — from 12,000 boys and girls living in diverse sites across the four study countries, as well as from schools attended by some of the children. These study countries include Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam.
This article analyzes how children in Ethiopia respond to household adversity in the context of p... more This article analyzes how children in Ethiopia respond to household adversity in the context of poverty. It highlights the association between poverty and other forms of hardship and the complex interplay of risk and protective factors in young people’s lives. It argues that identifying adversity is not straightforward because beliefs affect the outcomes of such experiences, and different cultures and actors hold different views on the matter, so that assumed risks can in some cases be protective and foster specific competencies in the young. To support this argument, children’s work—often viewed as a risk—and their role in preventing and mitigating household hardship are underlined as a potential source of protection, resilience and skills development. In this way, the limitations of research that focuses solely on detrimental child outcomes of risk exposure are revealed and the need for a more nuanced, multi-actor view of these processes is emphasized.
Introduction Forced migration is one of the most significant human phenomena of the 21st century,... more Introduction Forced migration is one of the most significant human phenomena of the 21st century, affecting millions of adults and children throughout the globe. Most displaced populations in the world today settle spontaneously, in the main within their own countries. Only a small minority of those who are forced to flee their homes are registered officially and become part of an organised refugee community and programmeme. Much of what social scientists and other observers know about displaced populations refers to the minority of displaced persons who are registered. Refugees in camps constitute a captive population for researchers and relief agencies, while, on the other hand, spontaneously settled, “unofficial” populations of displaced people tend to actively seek privacy and anonymity, for fear of antagonism from or eviction by neighbours, or detention and deportation by the authorities.
This chapter discusses the absolute importance of a good start in early childhood as the foundati... more This chapter discusses the absolute importance of a good start in early childhood as the foundation for later human development. It focuses on two core development concerns: under-nutrition, and preschool circumstances and interventions. The Young Lives countries show progress in stunting reduction, notably in Peru where reducing under-nutrition has been given national importance. The ongoing prevalence of stunting nevertheless is a clear channel through which poverty in childhood results in disadvantaged development. Interventions to improve early childhood circumstances have been shown to work for the poorest children. Indeed, nutritional supplementation has been found to support healthy growth, especially for young children and poorer children. Interventions to support infants also have the potential to support mothers and primary caregivers. As these findings suggest, to ensure their survival, health, and development, young children need a multi-sectoral response.
Introduction: Child Poverty and the Centrality of Schooling Michael Bourdillon and Jo Boyden PART... more Introduction: Child Poverty and the Centrality of Schooling Michael Bourdillon and Jo Boyden PART I: POVERTY AND THE LIVES OF GROWING CHILDREN 1. How Does Where Children Live Affect How They Develop? Evidence from Communities in Ethiopia and Vietnam Paul Dornan and Maria Jose Ogando Portela 2. Family Socio-economic Status, Mother's Psychosocial Skills and Children's Human Capital: Evidence from Four Low- and Middle-Income Countries Andreas Georgiadis and Priscila Hermida 3. 'I Am Dependent On My Children's Support': Risk and Protective Factors for Children Experiencing Adverse Events Maria Jose Ogando Portela and Kirrily Pells 4. Gender, Agency and Poverty: Children's Everyday Experiences in Andhra Pradesh and Vietnam Gina Crivello, Vu Thi Thanh Huong and Uma Vennam PART II: HOW DOES SCHOOLING HELP THE POOR? 5. Schooling and Cognitive Outcomes from Childhood to Youth: A Longitudinal Analysis Caine Rolleston and Zoe James 6. Changes in Rural Children's Use...
This thesis combines ethnographic methods with feminist political analysis to examine Congolese y... more This thesis combines ethnographic methods with feminist political analysis to examine Congolese young people’s decision-making roles in families, households, communities and policy spaces in Kampala and Kyaka II refugee settlement, Uganda. As refugees and young people, research subjects face many structural constraints. However, their diverse experiences defy homogenising discourses of marginality as an inherent, fixed characteristic. Instead, this thesis develops and applies a conceptual framework of political marginalisation as a dynamic process in multiple spaces.Research findings show that young people’s decision-making roles vis-a-vis resource distribution and division of labour are relational and contextual. Their multiple subject positions and relationships in overlapping networks affect differential decision-making roles. In particular, social age and gender are major axes of decision-making processes. Analyses of inter-linkages across patterns of relationships reveal that r...
Young Lives is a cross-sequential two-cohort study of child poverty that has been conducted in Pe... more Young Lives is a cross-sequential two-cohort study of child poverty that has been conducted in Peru, Vietnam, India and Ethiopia since 2002. We draw on study findings to show how poverty and inequalities have shaped mathematical abilities and literacy from early childhood to adolescence. Using both descriptive data and path analysis, we trace the consequences for these abilities of poverty, minority and majority group membership, gender, rural and urban residence, and school quality. Proximal to the child we examine the effects of caregiver psychological well-being, support for learning in the home, and aspirations for the child’s future. At the level of the child, we examine the effects of stunted growth and recovery, as well as the manner in which early literacy and numeracy abilities are related to these competencies in adolescence. Following the call for developmental science to inform actions to realise the SDGs, we show that while investment in the early years is critical to b...
This chapter examines middle childhood. Skills and values developed during middle childhood build... more This chapter examines middle childhood. Skills and values developed during middle childhood build on foundations established in early childhood and set the stage for adolescence. Thus, it is vital that the momentum established in the early years is sustained through this important life phase. Young Lives evidence shows that children's growth trajectories are more dynamic during middle childhood than is often recognised. This finding suggests a wider policy opportunity. The evidence from systematic reviews points to the importance of measures such as social protection, which has been shown to increase livelihood security. With near-universal access to school during middle childhood, midday meals and other nutrition programmes in schools may also help support children's growth. Moreover, the focus on strengthened education and learning quality is especially important for the early grades, given that early performance in key areas such as literacy and numeracy lays the foundati...
In September 2000 the Refugees Studies Centre and the Centre for Child-Focused Anthropological Re... more In September 2000 the Refugees Studies Centre and the Centre for Child-Focused Anthropological Research of Brunel University hosted an International Consultation on Children in Adversity in Oxford. The 110 participants were brought together to share their knowledge research information and practitioner experience to promote a better understanding of children their development their capacities and vulnerabilities and the risks they face in highly detrimental settings. The participants divided into five working groups: refugee and displaced children children in armed conflict working children children and family incapacitation and children in deleterious institutional settings. The aim of the consultation was to increase understanding of the resilience and coping strategies of children exposed to highly stressful situations as well as the risks they face. It was proposed that recognition and support of childrens competencies and resourcefulness can encourage a move away from a focus o...
The papers making up this Special Section reveal important findings and begin to fill gaps in exi... more The papers making up this Special Section reveal important findings and begin to fill gaps in existing literature about children’s and young people’s understanding and developing beliefs about socio-economic inequality and poverty. We draw on our research experience with children growing up in poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam (Young Lives) from the perspective of sociology of childhood and social anthropology. The commentary discusses the papers in the Special Section and calls for policies and practices that argue for social justice for children and young people in political and economic terms and emphasizes the importance of including children’s views and descriptions of their experiences in research about poverty and inequality.
This introductory chapter provides a background of the Young Lives study, which began in 2001. Yo... more This introductory chapter provides a background of the Young Lives study, which began in 2001. Young Lives was set up during a period of optimism for global development associated with the Millennium Declaration, with the aim of informing the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty. At the time, data on child poverty in low- and middle-income countries were scarce and inconsistent. It was clear, however, that this was a very significant problem. Young Lives has been collecting detailed information on a wide range of topics — including health, nutrition, education, time use, and psychosocial wellbeing — from 12,000 boys and girls living in diverse sites across the four study countries, as well as from schools attended by some of the children. These study countries include Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam.
This article analyzes how children in Ethiopia respond to household adversity in the context of p... more This article analyzes how children in Ethiopia respond to household adversity in the context of poverty. It highlights the association between poverty and other forms of hardship and the complex interplay of risk and protective factors in young people’s lives. It argues that identifying adversity is not straightforward because beliefs affect the outcomes of such experiences, and different cultures and actors hold different views on the matter, so that assumed risks can in some cases be protective and foster specific competencies in the young. To support this argument, children’s work—often viewed as a risk—and their role in preventing and mitigating household hardship are underlined as a potential source of protection, resilience and skills development. In this way, the limitations of research that focuses solely on detrimental child outcomes of risk exposure are revealed and the need for a more nuanced, multi-actor view of these processes is emphasized.
Introduction Forced migration is one of the most significant human phenomena of the 21st century,... more Introduction Forced migration is one of the most significant human phenomena of the 21st century, affecting millions of adults and children throughout the globe. Most displaced populations in the world today settle spontaneously, in the main within their own countries. Only a small minority of those who are forced to flee their homes are registered officially and become part of an organised refugee community and programmeme. Much of what social scientists and other observers know about displaced populations refers to the minority of displaced persons who are registered. Refugees in camps constitute a captive population for researchers and relief agencies, while, on the other hand, spontaneously settled, “unofficial” populations of displaced people tend to actively seek privacy and anonymity, for fear of antagonism from or eviction by neighbours, or detention and deportation by the authorities.
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Papers by Jo Boyden