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Young Lives Longitudinal Qualitative Research Guide: A Guide for Researchers

There are very few studies in developing and low-income countries that combine a child-focus, with survey and qualitative methods, and a longitudinal research design. Young Lives is a fifteen-year mixed-methods study of childhood poverty being carried out in four developing country contexts: Ethiopia, India (in the state of Andhra Pradesh), Vietnam and Peru.

Young Lives Longitudinal Qualitative Research Guide: A Guide for Researchers

There are very few studies in developing and low-income countries that combine a child-focus, with survey and qualitative methods, and a longitudinal research design. Young Lives is a fifteen-year mixed-methods study of childhood poverty being carried out in four developing country contexts: Ethiopia, India (in the state of Andhra Pradesh), Vietnam and Peru.

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Growing Up with the Promise of the MDGs
Growing Up with the Promise of the MDGs

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Growing up with the promise of the MDGs

Improving children's life chances is central to what the MDGs were seeking to achieve. There is some consensus that the MDGs have achieved progress but with the target date of 2015 fast approaching there are questions about how equitably gains in education, health and living conditions have been distributed. A focus on children is essential, not only because their age and stage of development make them more susceptible to the impacts of poverty, but because interventions during childhood can bring important long-term benefits to society and are key to sustainable economic growth.

Growing up with the promise of the MDGs

Improving children's life chances is central to what the MDGs were seeking to achieve. There is some consensus that the MDGs have achieved progress but with the target date of 2015 fast approaching there are questions about how equitably gains in education, health and living conditions have been distributed. A focus on children is essential, not only because their age and stage of development make them more susceptible to the impacts of poverty, but because interventions during childhood can bring important long-term benefits to society and are key to sustainable economic growth.

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Female Labour-Force Participation and Child Education in India

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) of India requires one-third of the beneficiaries to be women, and equal wages to be paid to female and male participants. We study its impact on children's educational attainment via women?s increased access to labour-market opportunities.

Female Labour-Force Participation and Child Education in India

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) of India requires one-third of the beneficiaries to be women, and equal wages to be paid to female and male participants. We study its impact on children's educational attainment via women?s increased access to labour-market opportunities.

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Shocks, Borrowing Constraints and Schooling in Rural Vietnam

The impact of crop and health shocks on child education in rural Vietnam is investigated in this paper using a longitudinal database of Vietnamese children. The author explicitly takes into account borrowing constraints and investigates the different effects of shocks on constrained and non-constrained households. His empirical analysis provides further evidence on the role of borrowing constraints in transmitting the effect of shocks.

Shocks, Borrowing Constraints and Schooling in Rural Vietnam

The impact of crop and health shocks on child education in rural Vietnam is investigated in this paper using a longitudinal database of Vietnamese children. The author explicitly takes into account borrowing constraints and investigates the different effects of shocks on constrained and non-constrained households. His empirical analysis provides further evidence on the role of borrowing constraints in transmitting the effect of shocks.

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Harmful Traditional Practices and Child Protection

Local perspectives on female child marriage and circumcision in Ethiopia are explored in this paper. Both practices are widespread still, despite international and national efforts to eradicate them, and reflect deep-rooted patriarchal and gerontocratic values regulating transactions between kin groups at marriage and women's reproduction. Both have been designated as Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) by the Ethiopian government and are proscribed by law, with designated punishments.

Harmful Traditional Practices and Child Protection

Local perspectives on female child marriage and circumcision in Ethiopia are explored in this paper. Both practices are widespread still, despite international and national efforts to eradicate them, and reflect deep-rooted patriarchal and gerontocratic values regulating transactions between kin groups at marriage and women's reproduction. Both have been designated as Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) by the Ethiopian government and are proscribed by law, with designated punishments.

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Catching up from Early Nutritional Deficits?

We examine the nutritional status of a cohort of poor Ethiopian children and their patterns of catch-up growth in height-for-age between three key development stages: age 1, age 5 and age 8 years. We use ordinary least squares (within community) and instrumental variables analysis. During the earliest period, we find that nutritional catch-up patterns vary substantially across socioeconomic groups: average catch-up growth in height-for-age is almost perfect among children in relatively better-off households, while among the poorer children, relative height is more persistent.

Catching up from Early Nutritional Deficits?

We examine the nutritional status of a cohort of poor Ethiopian children and their patterns of catch-up growth in height-for-age between three key development stages: age 1, age 5 and age 8 years. We use ordinary least squares (within community) and instrumental variables analysis. During the earliest period, we find that nutritional catch-up patterns vary substantially across socioeconomic groups: average catch-up growth in height-for-age is almost perfect among children in relatively better-off households, while among the poorer children, relative height is more persistent.

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What a teacher ‘does’ is more important than what they ‘know'
What a teacher ‘does’ is more important than what they ‘know'

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Impact of Parental Death in Middle Childhood and Adolescence on Child Outcomes

This paper investigates whether the death of a parent during middle childhood (ages 7-8 to 11-12) has different effects on a child's schooling and psychosocial outcomes compared to death during adolescence (ages 11-12 to 14-15) in Ethiopia. The data comes from three rounds of the Young Lives longitudinal survey, conducted in 2002, 2006 and 2009, of a sample of around 850 children across 20 sentinel sites in Ethiopia. The results show that when a child's mother dies in middle childhood it has a significantly negative impact on school enrolment.

Impact of Parental Death in Middle Childhood and Adolescence on Child Outcomes

This paper investigates whether the death of a parent during middle childhood (ages 7-8 to 11-12) has different effects on a child's schooling and psychosocial outcomes compared to death during adolescence (ages 11-12 to 14-15) in Ethiopia. The data comes from three rounds of the Young Lives longitudinal survey, conducted in 2002, 2006 and 2009, of a sample of around 850 children across 20 sentinel sites in Ethiopia. The results show that when a child's mother dies in middle childhood it has a significantly negative impact on school enrolment.

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PDAs in Socio-Economic Surveys: Instrumental Bias, Surveyor Bias or Both?

It is very likely that electronic means of data collection will become a standard for socioeconomic surveys in the near future. As surveys move from paper form to personal digital assistants (PDAs) or tablets there is a need to evaluate if such a shift will affect the quality of the data. To explore the potential biases that data collection through PDAs may generate, we use the third wave of Young Lives-Peru to randomly assign survey respondents between PDA-based questionnaires and paper-based questionnaires.

PDAs in Socio-Economic Surveys: Instrumental Bias, Surveyor Bias or Both?

It is very likely that electronic means of data collection will become a standard for socioeconomic surveys in the near future. As surveys move from paper form to personal digital assistants (PDAs) or tablets there is a need to evaluate if such a shift will affect the quality of the data. To explore the potential biases that data collection through PDAs may generate, we use the third wave of Young Lives-Peru to randomly assign survey respondents between PDA-based questionnaires and paper-based questionnaires.

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