DISCUSSION PAPER

This paper contributes longitudinal research evidence on the impact of structural inequalities on children’s development within households and communities, the ways access to health, education and other key services may reduce or amplify inequalities, and the ways that children’s developmental trajectories diverge from early in life through to early adulthood.

REPORT

Using data gathered from 12,000 children and their families over the timeframe of the MDGs, and in children’s own words where possible, this report from Young Lives looks beyond the ‘big data’ to see what has changed in the reality of children’s lives in the context of the shifts in national policy, priorities and outcomes related to the MDGs.

BRIEF

Drawing on findings from Young Lives, this Brief illustrates the unique advantages of tracking cohorts of children over time to understand causes and consequences, the dynamics of change and the interaction between complex factors in determining outcomes for children. It offers lessons that can inform timely and effective policy responses to changing circumstances, as well as point to some data needs, for the next 15 years and beyond.