Social Protection and Welfare Systems: Implications for early childhood development

Lawrence Aber, Linda Biersteker, Andrew Dawes, Laura Rawlings

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

In most countries, the social protection and welfare system is directly responsible for addressing issues of destitution, poverty, and risk management. Currently, an undesirable gap exists between traditional policies in social protection and the need to make specific provision for early childhood. This chapter helps close this gap, hoping to enhance the interest and ability of social protection systems to effectively address serious constraints on early childhood development (ECD) caused by long-term poverty, income instability, and adverse shocks. Specifically, the chapter describes the recent history and multiple functions of social protection and explains their importance to ECD; identifies critical challenges to and promising practices in closing the gap between social protection and ECD; and analyzes and discusses key issues requiring new research initiatives (research agenda) and/or immediate cross-system collaboration (policy agenda) to advance the capacity of social protection systems to protect and promote ECD.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationHandbook of Early Childhood Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)9780199980420
ISBN (Print)9780199922994
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 24 2013

Keywords

  • Early childhood development
  • Policy agenda
  • Research agenda
  • Social protection
  • Welfare systems

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

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