How Inequalities Develop Through Childhood: Life course evidence from the Young Lives Cohort study

This paper explores the processes of how and why inequalities emerge; their impact on children’s lives and future prospects; the extent to which inequalities in individual capacities contribute to the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage; and the most promising entry points for policy and programming. This is intended to aid UNICEF and other invested parties in tackling poverty and inequalities through informed programming and policy making.

This paper is based primarily on findings from Young Lives, an ongoing fifteen-year longitudinal study of 12,000 children living in poverty in four countries: Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam.