No Small Matter : The Impact ofPoverty, Shocks, and Human Capital Investments in EarlyChildhood Development

Alderman, Harold

World Bank

关键词: ACHIEVEMENT;    ADDICTION;    AGE GROUPS;    AGED;    ANXIETY;   

DOI  :  10.1596/978-0-8213-8677-4
RP-ID  :  60041

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The relative lack of attention to earlychildhood development in many developing countries remains apuzzle, and an opportunity. There is increasing evidencethat investments in the nutritional, cognitive, andsocio-emotional development of young children have highpayoffs. Researchers and development practitioners arebuilding on this evidence to raise the topic's profileand bring it to the attention of decision makers. Thisvolume is an important contribution to these efforts. Itthoroughly and carefully reviews the most recent empiricalliterature linking early childhood development outcomes,poverty, and shocks. In doing so, it brings an addedperspective to the debate and makes the case thatinvestments in the first years of life have the potential tobe a critical component of poverty reduction strategies. Thevolume also goes beyond simply documenting the consequencesof insufficient or inadequate focus on early childhood andidentifies the range of policy options available to policymakers. The Human Development Perspectives series seeks topresent thorough research findings on issues of criticalstrategic importance for developing countries. At its coreis the perspective that investments in human capital are anessential aspect of efforts to promote global developmentand eradicate poverty. This volume makes it convincinglyclear that investing in and protecting the human capital ofyoung children is no small matter.