Raising Children: The Case for Government Intervention

Well-being is "the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous," according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The Early Years: Child Well-Being and the Role of Public Policy focuses on the well-being of children in the early years of their lives, from conception to approximately 9 years of age. Scientists in the fields of biology, psychology, and economics have a clear view of what outcomes (and trajectories) define a happy, healthy, and potentially prosperous child; they are discussed in this chapter. What is less clear is how to raise children in order to achieve these outcomes and who should be involved in that process.