With the prospect of a double-dip recession hot on the heels of the 2008/9 financial crisis, this public meeting draws on a recent theme issue of Development Policy Review to consider the implications of economic shocks on child well-being. The event will explore how children fare in times of economic crisis, how policy can mediate such shocks, and what lessons can be learnt from the past to enable both resilience and preparedness for future economic crises. 

Using the results of research undertaken by UNICEF and ODI to consider the implications of both past and present economic crises, the meeting will draw on the September 2011 theme Issue of Development Policy Review, produced as part of this ODI-UNICEF collaboration.  This event will bring together notable experts on economic shocks and child well-being to address the key questions and implications of a double-dip recession at the local level for vulnerable children – including potential increases in mortality, nutrition and school drop-out, and the stresses likely to be placed on their primary carers that exacerbate child vulnerabilities. The event will review the prospects and potential outcomes facing children on the cusp of a second global recession and debate possible policy responses.