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Conceptualising and Measuring Children’s Time Use: 
A technical review for Young Lives

This paper reviews interdisciplinary research on children’s time use. Following the introduction, Section 2 sketches the broad historical and socio-cultural context for time-use studies, recognising that how childhood has been variously understood affects the valuation of children’s activities, roles and relationships and the ways they are experienced. It will become clear that differing views about children’s ‘proper’ time use have coincided with powerful assumptions about children’s roles throughout history, and the ‘value’ of children’s time.

Conceptualising and Measuring Children’s Time Use: 
A technical review for Young Lives

This paper reviews interdisciplinary research on children’s time use. Following the introduction, Section 2 sketches the broad historical and socio-cultural context for time-use studies, recognising that how childhood has been variously understood affects the valuation of children’s activities, roles and relationships and the ways they are experienced. It will become clear that differing views about children’s ‘proper’ time use have coincided with powerful assumptions about children’s roles throughout history, and the ‘value’ of children’s time.

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The Formation and Evolution of Childhood Skill Acquisition

Abstract: Building on recent advances in the literature and using a rich data set for two cohorts of children aged between one and twelve for Andhra Pradesh, India, we investigate the determinants of children's cognitive as well as non-cognitive skills. We find evidence of selfproductivity for cognitive skills and cross-productivity effects from cognitive on non-cognitive skills. Moreover, we demonstrate that parental investment has contemporaneously powerful positive effects on skill levels for all age groups.

The Formation and Evolution of Childhood Skill Acquisition

Abstract: Building on recent advances in the literature and using a rich data set for two cohorts of children aged between one and twelve for Andhra Pradesh, India, we investigate the determinants of children's cognitive as well as non-cognitive skills. We find evidence of selfproductivity for cognitive skills and cross-productivity effects from cognitive on non-cognitive skills. Moreover, we demonstrate that parental investment has contemporaneously powerful positive effects on skill levels for all age groups.

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‘Children With a Good Life Have to Have School Bags’: Diverse Understandings of Well-being among Older Children in Three Ethiopian Communities

Abstract: This paper focuses on children’s understandings of well-being and ill-being in resource-poor contexts in Ethiopia, using quantitative and qualitative data collected from individuals and groups. The quantitative data are drawn from Young Lives child questionnaire, which was administered to children aged 11 to 12 across 20 sentinel sites in Ethiopia during 2006.

‘Children With a Good Life Have to Have School Bags’: Diverse Understandings of Well-being among Older Children in Three Ethiopian Communities

Abstract: This paper focuses on children’s understandings of well-being and ill-being in resource-poor contexts in Ethiopia, using quantitative and qualitative data collected from individuals and groups. The quantitative data are drawn from Young Lives child questionnaire, which was administered to children aged 11 to 12 across 20 sentinel sites in Ethiopia during 2006.

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Productive Safety Net Programme and Children’s Time Use Between Work and Schooling in Ethiopia

Government, non-government and donor organisations have developed a social assistance programme known as the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) which has two subprogrammes, namely the Public Work Programme (PWP) and Direct Support Programme (DSP). PSNP is designed to reduce the vulnerability of poor people to drought. It targets households in most cases without considering ex ante the issue of intra-household resource distribution.

Productive Safety Net Programme and Children’s Time Use Between Work and Schooling in Ethiopia

Government, non-government and donor organisations have developed a social assistance programme known as the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) which has two subprogrammes, namely the Public Work Programme (PWP) and Direct Support Programme (DSP). PSNP is designed to reduce the vulnerability of poor people to drought. It targets households in most cases without considering ex ante the issue of intra-household resource distribution.

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Community Understandings of Children’s Transitions in Ethiopia

The paper explores the views of caregivers and other adults on the nature and timing of transitions made by children aged 11 to 13 in five Ethiopian communities, spanning rural, peri-urban and urban locations. The three transitions selected are schooling, work and 'early' marriage for girls, which provides a gendered example of rites of passage that are engaged in alongside institutional transitions and affect their success or failure. Adult perspectives are the focus as these are assumed to be more strongly reflective of the community norms that shape children's transitions.

Community Understandings of Children’s Transitions in Ethiopia

The paper explores the views of caregivers and other adults on the nature and timing of transitions made by children aged 11 to 13 in five Ethiopian communities, spanning rural, peri-urban and urban locations. The three transitions selected are schooling, work and 'early' marriage for girls, which provides a gendered example of rites of passage that are engaged in alongside institutional transitions and affect their success or failure. Adult perspectives are the focus as these are assumed to be more strongly reflective of the community norms that shape children's transitions.

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Education Choices in Ethiopia

The paper uses data from a 2002 survey of 1000 rural and urban households with eight-year old children sampled from food insecure communities in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Addis Ababa Regional States. Using a probit regression model, we investigated external factors associated with child enrolment in school.  We found that household wealth, cognitive social capital, adult education and ownership of land had a positive impact on whether eight-year-old children were attending school.

Education Choices in Ethiopia

The paper uses data from a 2002 survey of 1000 rural and urban households with eight-year old children sampled from food insecure communities in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Addis Ababa Regional States. Using a probit regression model, we investigated external factors associated with child enrolment in school.  We found that household wealth, cognitive social capital, adult education and ownership of land had a positive impact on whether eight-year-old children were attending school.

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Editorial: Qualitative Approaches to Researching Well-being and Quality of Life (Special issue)

The importance of measures of quality of life and wellbeing, often counterpoised with indicators of economic growth, is especially evident in developing countries. They also have value among marginalised groups in North America and Europe where they highlight how material inequalities impact on experience. Understanding people's experience of their lives as a whole is a challenging and exciting task.

Editorial: Qualitative Approaches to Researching Well-being and Quality of Life (Special issue)

The importance of measures of quality of life and wellbeing, often counterpoised with indicators of economic growth, is especially evident in developing countries. They also have value among marginalised groups in North America and Europe where they highlight how material inequalities impact on experience. Understanding people's experience of their lives as a whole is a challenging and exciting task.

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Well-being Research in Developing Countries

The authors review the contribution of qualitative methods to exploring concepts and experiences of well-being among children and adults living in developing countries. They provide examples illustrating the potential of these methods for gaining a holistic and contextual understanding of people's perceptions and experiences.

Well-being Research in Developing Countries

The authors review the contribution of qualitative methods to exploring concepts and experiences of well-being among children and adults living in developing countries. They provide examples illustrating the potential of these methods for gaining a holistic and contextual understanding of people's perceptions and experiences.

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How can Children Tell us about their Well-being?

"Well-being" is a key concept in the study of children's lives over time, given its potential to link the objective, subjective, and inter-subjective dimensions of their experiences in ways that are holistic, contextualized and longitudinal. For this reason well-being is one of the core concepts used by Young Lives, a 15-year project (2000?2015) that follows the lives of 12,000 children growing up in the context of poverty in Ethiopia, Peru, Andhra Pradesh (India) and Vietnam  (see http://www.younglives.org.uk).

How can Children Tell us about their Well-being?

"Well-being" is a key concept in the study of children's lives over time, given its potential to link the objective, subjective, and inter-subjective dimensions of their experiences in ways that are holistic, contextualized and longitudinal. For this reason well-being is one of the core concepts used by Young Lives, a 15-year project (2000?2015) that follows the lives of 12,000 children growing up in the context of poverty in Ethiopia, Peru, Andhra Pradesh (India) and Vietnam  (see http://www.younglives.org.uk).

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What’s the Use of ‘Well-being’ in Contexts of Child Poverty?

Monitoring, protecting and promoting 'well-being' are central to realisation of children's rights. Yet definitions of the concept are both variable and can appear conceptually confused. Competing research paradigms engage with the concept and its measurement, while applications of well-being in policy are equally contested. This paper outlines some of the major debates, as a starting point for reviewing three contrasting approaches to well-being: indicator-based, participatory, and longitudinal research.

What’s the Use of ‘Well-being’ in Contexts of Child Poverty?

Monitoring, protecting and promoting 'well-being' are central to realisation of children's rights. Yet definitions of the concept are both variable and can appear conceptually confused. Competing research paradigms engage with the concept and its measurement, while applications of well-being in policy are equally contested. This paper outlines some of the major debates, as a starting point for reviewing three contrasting approaches to well-being: indicator-based, participatory, and longitudinal research.

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