Young Lives

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About

Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty. 12,000 children in four countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) are studied over 15 years. A team in the Department of International Development at the University of Oxford lead the study, working closely with with research and policy partners in the focal countries. The aim of the longitudinal and cross-country study is to improve policies and programmes for children in developing countries in order to help break the cycle of poverty.

Young Lives receives core-funding for the period 2001-2017 from United Kingdom from the Department for International Development and additional funding from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2014.

The methodological approach is interdisciplinary and the research team international.

The time frame of the study mirrors that of the Millennium Development Goals and of the Education for All movement. The data collected is used to inform national and international policy making.

"From addressing child malnutrition and mortality, to improving Education quality, a consistent message arising from the Young Lives research is that a focus on children and equity, along with a multi-dimensional understanding of Poverty, can help to tackle overall poverty towards more equitable development and growth."^[1]

Report: What Inequality Means for Children

Understanding how poverty and inequalities affect children is central to understanding the impact of the MDGs and development of the post-2015 agenda.

This paper draws together research from across the Young Lives longitudinal study of child poverty to answer questions about how inequality shapes children’s development. Our conclusions are wide-ranging – spanning education, health and nutrition, and psychosocial development. Overall, the evidence is clear – that children from the poorest households are most vulnerable and quickly fall behind their peers, in terms of equality of opportunity as well as outcomes.

Tracking children over 15 years enables us to see how gender-based differences evolve over the life-course, highlighting trigger points that shape different opportunities for girls and boys. We see that while stunting is still widespread, there is also evidence of partial recovery for some children. This reinforces the evidence that investment in early childhood is essential, but shows that later interventions to support older children are also important. We also highlight the impact of diverse school systems on inequalities in terms of access, quality and outcomes, and the role that schools may play in reducing – or all too often, amplifying – differences.