In 2008/09 we have seen multiple crises – beginning with the food price crisis, more recently the collapse of financial markets, and now moving into a global recession. The impacts of these crises are having far reaching effects; rises in unemployment have been immediate and continue to grow, with consequences for political, social and household economic spheres. And there is increasing concern that the effects will be long-lasting.
Evidence from past experiences of crisis suggests that although parents typically seek to protect children in the short-term, if recession is sustained without appropriate policies, children’s rights to education, health, nutrition and protection may be severely compromised, with effects for children’s long-term social and economic development.
As such this project seeks to examine the various ways and means through which economic crises can affect children’s well-being and development. By building a knowledge base of the effects of past crises, we seeks to identify the ways in which the current financial crisis will affect children and to highlight key policy responses which governments can implement to mitigate it’s harmful effects.
G-20 Investment in Children
This seminar addressed the impact of the financial crisis on children and the need to invest in protective measures for children during economic crises.
Children in times of economic crisis: Past lessons, future policies
How do economic shocks, in particular the current economic downturn, affect the wellbeing of children? What can be done to mitigate harm? This paper explores these questions, presents a framework for analysing the impact of shocks on children in different...
Children in times of economic crisis: lessons from the past and policies for the future
This blog highlights how the current economic downturn affects the wellbeing of children and investigates policy responses to minimise harm to vulnerable groups such as poor women, children and young people.