One of the objectives of Young Lives is to develop a replicable and relatively low-cost methodology that can be used to study childhood poverty over time. The main purpose of this document is, therefore, to provide guidance for developing country government, NGO and research professionals interested in conducting similar research and advocacy work on childhood poverty. It outlines the approach taken by Young Lives, drawing on experience and lessons learned to highlight important issues to consider.

Abstract: This paper presents a case study to illustrate the range of decisions involved in designing a sampling strategy for a complex, long-term research study. It is based on experience from the Young Lives project and identifies the approaches used to sample children for long-term follow-up in four countries. The rationale for decisions made and the resulting benefits, and limitations, of the approaches adopted are discussed. It is particularly important to choose samples which will yield data to enable useful analysis.

Establishing panel studies – long-term studies where a cross-sectional sample of units is selected and surveyed at regular intervals – is difficult in developing countries. This difficulty is due to the absence of the long-term surveillance systems usually found in developed countries. Studies in developing countries need to be carefully designed to ensure that all necessary information is captured at the outset. Data must be maintained in a format suitable for long-term analysis. The initial study is particularly important.

The period of 1800 to 1950 saw dramatic changes in the economy and standards of living in Britain, resulting in the development of social policy and the creation of the welfare state. Child welfare became a central concern and, by the end of this period, a rigorously defined and more universal notion of the child and the nature of childhood had emerged. The distinct status of the child was itself partly created through the operation of social policy.