Child Poverty

Mobility with joint forces - The decreasing of deep poverty with conditional transfers

by TARKI Social Research Institute

This study was prepared by TÁRKI Társadalomkutatási Intézet Zrt. [TÁRKI Institute for Social Re-search Co.Ltd.] and Budapest Szakpolitikai Elemző Intézet Kft. [Budapest Institute for Policy Analy-sis Ltd.] under order from the Patriotism and Progress Public Policy Foundation, on the basis of a contract signed in July 2011.

The study reflects the views of BI and TÁRKI, its contents do not necessarily coincide with the standpoint of the Patriotism and Progress Foundation.

Editors:
- Márton Medgyesi, Lead Researcher (TÁRKI Co. Ltd.)
- Ágota Scharle, Managing Director (Budapest Institute for Policy Analysis Ltd.)

Participating experts of the research:
- Mariann Dósa, Analyst (Budapest Institute and Oxford University)
- Árpád Földessy, Analyst (Budapest Institute)
- Márton Medgyesi, Lead Researcher (TÁRKI Zrt.)
- Ágota Scharle, Managing Director (Budapest Institute)
- Balázs Váradi, Lead Researcher (Budapest Institute and ELTE)
- Márton Varga, Analyst (Budapest Institute and Nova School of Business and Economics - Lisbon)

A workshop discussion was organized in Tárki on 5 January 2012 on the findings of the research project that provided the basis for this report. We express our gratitude for the valuable contribu-tions of the invited speakers, particularly György Csepeli, Károly Czibere and János Köllő.

ÁRKI Social Research Institute and Budapest Institute prepared a report on poverty in Hungary commissioned by... more ÁRKI Social Research Institute and Budapest Institute prepared a report on poverty in Hungary commissioned by Patriotism and Progress Public Policy Foundation, which was presented on the policy conference of the foundation on 29th of March in Budapest.

The Patriotism and Progress Public Policy Foundation launched its research programme in the spring of 2011. The objective of the programme is to study the poverty situation in Hungary and to develop new policy instruments to reduce extreme poverty. The research project aimes to find more efficient, effective and sustainable policy initiatives to deal with poverty. The programme includes the monitoring and evaluation of conditional social and cash transfers, which are not discriminating but stimulating and more acceptable for the majority of people who are living in better circumstances.

Poverty, Risk and Families' Responses: Evidence from Young Lives

by Kirrily Pells

This paper brings together existing Young Lives research and policy analysis, alongside new findings, to argue that... more This paper brings together existing Young Lives research and policy analysis, alongside new findings, to argue that poverty and inequalities are at the heart of childhood risk, shaping
which children are at risk, access to sources of protection, and children’s life chances. Drawing on the rounds of survey and qualitative data collection conducted to date, it illustrates
how risk is mediated through poverty and structural disadvantage, meaning that children from groups with low social status, from rural areas and the poorest households, have increased risk of having poorer outcomes in education, health and subjective well-being indicators. Policymakers concerned with reducing risk and improving protection should not focus on
enabling individual children to ‘beat the odds’ but instead on ‘changing the odds’ (Seccombe, 2002). This means targeting the root causes of children’s poor life chances, namely poverty
and inequalities, rather than just the symptoms of risk.

Poverty and Gender Inequalities: Evidence from Young Lives

by Kirrily Pells

Tackling gender inequalities has become central to poverty reduction strategies, including the Millennium Development... more Tackling gender inequalities has become central to poverty reduction strategies, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, gender dynamics between children growing up in poverty, and how these change over time, are poorly understood, yet a number of assumptions prevail. Young Lives is a study of childhood poverty which is following two cohorts of children over 15 years in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam. Analysis of Young Lives data challenges assumptions and suggests that gender is one source of inequality, alongside poverty, geographical location, ethnicity or caste status, which can intersect to impact negatively on children’s life chances and on girls differently from boys. To improve equality of life chances, policy interventions will have most success by targeting absolute poverty and broader structural inequalities.

European Inequalities - Income Distribution and the Risk of Poverty

by TARKI Social Research Institute

European Inequalities: Social Inclusion and Income Distribution in the European Union

(2009. Edited by Terry Ward, Orsolya Lelkes, Holly Sutherland, István György Tóth; ISBN 978-963-7869-40-2; Budapest: TÁRKI Social Research Institute Inc.)

This chapter of the "European Inequalities: Social Inclusion and Income Distribution in the European Union"... more This chapter of the "European Inequalities: Social Inclusion and Income Distribution in the European Union" is divided into three parts. The first part examines the distribution of income and the extent of inequality in income in EU Member States; the second part is concerned with the risk of poverty across the EU, as measured by the proportion of the population with disposable income below 60% of the national median; the third part extends the analysis by considering alternative indicators of the risk of poverty defined at an EU level and the relative number of people in the different Member States who are at risk according to the various indicators.

Early Childhood Report to Mayor Dean - Nashville

by Hunter Schimpff

Served as staff member & staff author to help compile the Committee's report. Co-written with Amanda Taylor. Technical assistance from Laura McComas - NLC.

This report closely examines the layer of policies and programs -- local, state, federal, and community-based -- that... more This report closely examines the layer of policies and programs -- local, state, federal, and community-based -- that affect early childhood education and development for Nashville-Davidson County children. Neuroscience has shown that the early years, ages 0-5, are a critical window for brain development and growth.

What happens in these years for individual students and every year's cohort of children has an important impact on educational success in the K-12 system, higher education system, and human capital quality for the local workforce and economy in future years.

Please click "view on Nashville.gov" below to see the report.

Kinderrechte oder Investition in Humankapital? - Die Bekämpfung von Kinderarmut im Sozialinvestitionsstaat

by Maksim Huebenthal

co-authored with Thomas Olk, published 2009 in: Knapp, Gerald/Salzmann, Gerald (Hrsg.): Kindheit, Gesellschaft und Soziale Arbeit - Lebenslagen und Soziale Ungleichheit von Kindern in Österreich. Hermagoras. Klagenfurt u.a.: 547-573.


For complete paper please send an email to: maksim.huebenthal@paedagogik.uni-halle.de

Language: German

Kinderarmut in Deutschland: Empirische Befunde, kinderpolitische Akteure und gesellschaftspolitische Handlungsstrategien. Eine Expertise im Auftrag des Deutschen Jugendinstituts (DJI). München.

by Maksim Huebenthal

Language: German

Die Expertise „Kinderarmut in Deutschland. Empirische Befunde,
kinderpolitische Akteure und... more Die Expertise „Kinderarmut in Deutschland. Empirische Befunde,
kinderpolitische Akteure und gesellschaftspolitische Handlungsstrategien“ entstand im Zuge des Beratungsprozesses des Bundesjugendkuratoriums, einem kinder- und jugendpolitischen Sachverständigengremium, das eine Stellungnahme zur Kinderarmut erarbeitet hat. Die Stellungnahme ist im August 2009 unter dem Titel „Kinderarmut in Deutschland: Eine drängende Handlungsaufforderung an die Politik“ erschienen. Sie ist kostenfrei downloadbar unter: www.bundesjugendkuratorium.de. Das Bundesjugendkuratorium wird seit 2007 in seiner Arbeit durch eine vom Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend finanzierte Arbeitsstelle Kinder- und Jugendpolitik wissenschaftlich und organisatorisch unterstützt, die in der Institutsleitung des Deutschen Jugendinstituts in München angesiedelt ist. Die Expertise wurde von den wissenschaftlichen
Referentinnen der Arbeitsstelle Kinder- und Jugendpolitik inhaltlich und redaktionell betreut.

Social constructions of child poverty in Germany

by Maksim Huebenthal

Paper presented at the international conference "at the 10th Conference of the European Sociological Association "SOCIAL RELATIONS IN TURBULENT TIMES". September 8, 2011.

- unpublished conference presentation/paper of ongoing PhD project -

For more than one decade child poverty is understood as a relevant social problem in Germany and since the end of the... more For more than one decade child poverty is understood as a relevant social problem in Germany and since the end of the conservative-liberal era in 1998 the German Federal Government explicitly identifies the fight against the poverty of children and families as a central political goal in the field of child and family policy. However, despite this high attention for years children form the population group in Germany that is affected the most by poverty. As a consequence there are public debates between the Federal Government, childhood and poverty researchers, non-profit-organisations, etc. about how, for what reasons and with what goal child poverty in Germany has to be abolished.
At present time, the state of the art of child poverty research allows us to structure the German discourse about child poverty alongside two poles: a children’s rights perspective which criticizes that poverty is violating the child’s rights on a decent standard of living in the present and demands more state intervention in several political areas on the one side and on the other side a social investment perspective which emphasizes that poverty of children is producing economic losses in the future and is primarily linked to investments in in-kind-transfers and in the educational system. These two poles can be understood as the expression and symbol of a diverted discourse on child poverty in Germany.
Against this backdrop, it is the aim of this presentation to deliver first insights into the specific social constructions of child poverty behind these two poles. Based upon this, it is intended to discuss major contradictions within and central tensions between the social constructions of child poverty in Germany. For this purpose I analyse the current debate on reforming the German social assistance-system via a discourse-analytic setting of qualitative methods from a child-oriented perspective in the sense of the “new childhood studies”.

Child Poverty in the German Social Investment State.

by Maksim Huebenthal

co-authored with Thomas Olk, published 2009 In: Journal of Family Research (Zeitschrift für Familienforschung). 21, 2: 150-167. [peer reviewed; SSCI listed]

For complete paper please send an email to: maksim.huebenthal@paedagogik.uni-halle.de

In the last years child poverty in Germany has become a political issue. However, child poverty rates are relatively... more In the last years child poverty in Germany has become a political issue. However, child poverty rates are relatively high and even on the rise. Against this backdrop we will analyse the strategy of the federal government to fight child poverty in Germany. We will demonstrate that the federal government uses a ‘child-centred social investment strategy’ (cf. Esping-Andersen 2002) as a blueprint. By analysing measures and instruments of the German anti-poverty Strategy, we will make clear that this strategy is not completely put into effect. Whereas Esping-Andersen propagates a fine balance of social services and financial transfers, the German government underestimates the relevance of material redistribution and focuses predominantly on social services and education. This is not by chance but can be understood as a consequence of the conceptual limits of the social investment ideology. To guarantee generational justice and to make sure that children will receive a fair share of societal resources in a rich country we plea for a children’s rights-based approach to fight child poverty.

Strategies against child poverty in Germany-why East German children are poorer...

by Maksim Huebenthal

Paper presented at the international conference "Growing up in divided societies" at Queen's University. June 10, 2010.

- unpublished conference presentation/paper -

Following empirical data in Germany currently between 12% and 26% of the children are living below the relative... more Following empirical data in Germany currently between 12% and 26% of the children are living below the relative poverty line (cf. BMAS, 2008: 293-294). Comparing East and West Germany makes clear that concerning the living conditions of children even almost 20 years after the reunification Germany can be understood as a divided society: The share of children who are living below the poverty line in East Germany is twice as high as the share for the whole of Germany and so is also the share of children who are living in social assistance households in East Germany compared to western Germany. Hence, from a child-oriented perspective the aim of creating equivalent living conditions as it is fixed in the constitutional law is still far away. However, for some years the German welfare state is explicitly focusing on the aim to reduce child poverty and to overcome the reproduction of social inequality. Hereby, the federal government uses a ‘child-centred social investment strategy’ (cf. Esping-Andersen, 2002) as a blueprint. Based upon this social policy paradigm the federal government is focusing its anti-child poverty strategy first of all on the integration of unemployed mothers into the labour market and expanding the provision of high quality early childcare facilities but less on increasing financial transfers (cf. Olk/Huebenthal, 2009).
In my presentation I will analyse the measures of the German Federal Government to reduce child poverty and demonstrate the chances and limitations of this current policy. Hereby, the question can be asked to what extent the federal government's anti-child poverty is contributing to overcome the current social division of children's living conditions in East and West Germany.

Disentangling poverty and race

by Deborah J. Johnson

Race, class, and culture are inextricably linked in the lives of poor families. A perspective is provided for a... more Race, class, and culture are inextricably linked in the lives of poor families. A perspective is provided for a disentangled view of these influences for the purposes of enhancing the effectiveness of practice. policy, and program design, as well as research. Deconstructing myths and beliefs about poor families of color with examples from African American and Hmong American life were key in the development of the approach. Three implicationsfor policy and practice are offered: (a) checking our lens. (b) providing the tailoredfit. and (c) feeding the baby.

Niños que se hacen hombres. Conformación de la identidades masculinas de agricultores en Costa Rica

by Mauricio Menjívar Ochoa

Niñez, pobreza y estrategias de sobrevivencia: familias campesinas del Valle Central y Guanacaste, Costa Rica (1912-1970)

by Mauricio Menjívar Ochoa

Low-income families participating in fewer assistance programs

by Joshua Winicki

Frequency and Duration of Food Insecurity and Hunger In US Households

by Joshua Winicki

Food stamp benefits and child poverty

by Joshua Winicki

Bending the generational rules. Agency of children and young people in ‘child-headed households'.

by Diana van Dijk

In: Evers, S. Notermans, C. & Ommering, E. (eds), Not Just a Victim: The Child as Catalyst and Witness of Contemporary Africa, Leiden: Brill

This chapter deals with the agency of children and young people in child-headed households in South Africa. It is... more This chapter deals with the agency of children and young people in child-headed households in South Africa. It is argued that, though such youngsters need to run their own household,  have to execute adult tasks and responsibilities and sometimes are legally adults (eighteen years or older) they do not have adult status. This is because childhood and adulthood is not defined by biological age and not reached when a child turns eighteen. Understandings of childhood and adulthood vary widely between and within cultures. The concept 'generational constructions' is used to point to these social cultural meanings of childhood. The ideas about and characteristics of childhood and adulthood result in generational rules that severely limit children’s room to manoeuvre in coping. Agency is perceived as both the observable actions of children and the meaning, motivations and purposes which children bring into their actions. By focussing on the latter, it becomes clear that children are able to bend the generational rules. The author discusses children’s narratives on the support they receive and seek, the choices they were able to make and their position as children with adult responsibilities.

"Correlation between Public Policy and Poverty"

by Julio Warner Loiseau

Despite repeated calls to eradicate poverty, it remains a persistent issue and in order to evaluate what has been done... more Despite repeated calls to eradicate poverty, it remains a persistent issue and in order to evaluate what has been done so far one needs to know where to look for the info.

Are work and schooling complementary or competitive for children in rural Ethiopia? A mixed-methods study

by Kate Orkin

2011. "Children Growing Up in Poverty: Multidisciplinary Approaches". Michael Bourdillon and Jo Boyden (eds). Palgrave Macmillan.

In the Child's Best Interests? Legislation on Children's Work in Rural Ethiopia

by Kate Orkin

Journal of International Development, 2010, volume 22, issue 8, pp. 1102-1114.

An abolitionist approach to children’s work bans all work; a regulatory approach bans harmful work and regulates other... more An abolitionist approach to children’s work bans all work; a regulatory approach bans harmful work and regulates other work. I argue for a regulatory approach, using the ‘least restrictive’ alternative test applied in law. I contend, however, that definitions of harmful work must be appropriate to local contexts and informed by working children’s views. I support this with a case study of a village in Ethiopia, where the current abolitionist approach is overly restrictive. However, a regulatory approach based on international definitions of harmful work would probably not protect children in the case study village against some harmful work. Children and parents are able to define harmful work more precisely than international definitions, suggesting that locally specific definitions developed with working children should form the basis of regulatory legislation.

The mp3 of a talk based on this paper is here https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/news/eventsmultimedia/2010/node/240895/.

The talk was sponsored by the Copeland Colloquium for 2010-11 at Amherst College as part of a series of Copeland events on the theme of “International Development: Successes, Failures and Future Directions.”