Measuring and Monitoring Children's Well-Being

by Ben-Arieh, Asher; Kaufman, Natalie Hevener; Andrews, Arlene Bowers; Goerge, Robert M.; Lee, Bong Joo; Aber, J. Lawrence

• ISBN13: 9780792367895
• ISBN10: 0792367898
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-02-01
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Summary

This book is an outcome of a very innovative and unique endeavor: that of the international project "Measuring and Monitoring Children's Well-Being", which involved some 80 experts from 27 countries working together for four years to redefine the concept of children's well-being and to suggest new indicators - beyond survival and basic needs - to measure and monitor the status of children. The reader will find a sound rationale for conducting such studies and for a consistent and thorough attempt to study and monitor children's well-being. Furthermore, the book presents the most extensive analysis to date of the current field of child well-being indicators and the various projects and studies that are currently under way. A newly defined context for children's well-being is presented, as well as a set of five "new" domains and some 49 indicators that are recommended for measuring and monitoring children's well-being. Finally, the book discusses how such indicators could be used in the communities where children are living and in the policy making process in order to promote children's well-being. Readership: Sociologists, anthropologists, social psychologists, social workers, social paedagogues, social paediatricians and other child-related professionals.

Table of Contents

Preface - Helmut Wintersberger	xi
Acknowledgments	xvii
Introduction	xxi
The Rationale for Measuring and Monitoring Children's Well-Being	1	(10)
The Power of Information	1	(2)
Why Measure Children's Well-Being	3	(4)
The Social Measurement Movement	3	(1)
Children as a Distinct Group	4	(2)
Measuring the State of Children's Well-being at Various Levels	6	(1)
Benefits of Measuring and Monitoring	7	(4)
Enhancing Knowledge	7	(1)
Providing Tools for Better Planning	8	(1)
Making Monitoring Possible	9	(1)
Knowing for the Sake of Doing	10	(1)
Existing Efforts Around the World	11	(22)
Current Field of Children's Well-Being Indicators	11	(2)
Placing the Various Reports within a Framework	12	(1)
Central Themes and Topics of Existing Reports	13	(3)
Multi-issue Reports on Children's Well-being	13	(1)
Single-issue Reports on Children's Well-being	14	(1)
Integrated-issue Reports on Children's Well-being	14	(1)
Themes and Domains in Reports of Children's Well-being	15	(1)
Existing Efforts and Reports	16	(15)
International Efforts	16	(1)
UNICEF	17	(1)
Other International Agencies and Organizations	18	(1)
International Projects	19	(3)
International Studies (collecting data)	22	(2)
National Level Efforts	24	(1)
Government or Statutory Institutes	24	(4)
Academic groups	28	(1)
Private Foundations/NGO's	29	(1)
Community Level Efforts	30	(1)
Conclusions	31	(2)
Underlying Assumptions and Basic Guidelines for Measuring and Monitoring Children's Well-Being	33	(14)
Children's Rights as Human Rights	33	(4)
Childhood as a Stage in Itself	37	(1)
Children as a Unit of Observation	38	(2)
Emphasis on Positive Indicators	40	(1)
Importance of Selecting Policy Oriented Indicators	41	(1)
Monitoring Children's Rights vs. Monitoring Children's Well-Being	42	(1)
Combining Subjective and Objective Research	43	(1)
Survival or Beyond?	44	(1)
Conclusions	45	(2)
Five ``New'' Domains of Children's Well-Being	47	(20)
The Need for ``New'' Domains	47	(3)
From Survival to Well-being	48	(1)
From `Negative' to `Positive'	48	(1)
From `Well-Becoming' to `Well-being'	49	(1)
From `Traditional' to ``New'' Domains	50	(1)
Why Five Domains Rather than a Single Unified Theory?	50	(2)
The Context of ``New'' Domains of Children's Well-Being	52	(1)
Five ``New'' Domains of Children's Well-Being	53	(11)
Children's Activities	54	(2)
Children's Economic Resources and Contribution	56	(3)
Civic Life Skills	59	(2)
Personal Life Skills	61	(1)
Safety and Physical Status	62	(2)
Implications for Choosing Indicators	64	(3)
Possible Indicators of Children's Well-Being	67	(24)
Children's Activities	68	(3)
Children's Economic Resources and Contribution	71	(5)
Macro-economic and Distributive Justice	72	(1)
Expenditures on Children	73	(1)
Access to Resources	74	(1)
Children Contribution and Autonomy	75	(1)
Civic Life Skills	76	(5)
Civic and Community Values and Awareness	77	(1)
Civic and Community Activities	78	(1)
Opportunities for Civic and Community Activities	79	(2)
Personal Life Skills	81	(4)
Interpersonal Skills and Resources	81	(2)
Academic Skills and Resources	83	(1)
Intrapersonal Skills and Resources	84	(1)
Safety and Physical Status	85	(4)
Safety	86	(2)
Physical Status	88	(1)
Conclusions	89	(2)
How to Measure and Monitor Children's Well-Being	91	(16)
Administrative Data	92	(4)
Characteristics of Administrative Data	92	(3)
Some Examples for Using Administrative Data	95	(1)
Census and Survey Data	96	(2)
Characteristics of Survey Data	96	(1)
Some Examples for Using Census and Survey Data	97	(1)
Primary Research	98	(2)
Characteristics of Primary Research	98	(1)
Some Examples for Using Primary Research	99	(1)
Developing Better Indicators	100	(1)
Limitations of Descriptive Childhood Social Indicators	101	(2)
Measuring the State of the Child: A Contextual Perspective	103	(2)
Conclusions	105	(2)
Measuring and Monitoring Children's Well-Being at the Community Level	107	(12)
Community Organization for Child Well-Being	107	(2)
Measuring Children's Well-Being at the Community Level	109	(2)
Hypothetical Community Measurement and Monitoring Process	111	(6)
Conclusions	117	(2)
Measuring and Monitoring Children's Well-Being and the Making of Policy	119	(10)
Goals, Sub-Goals and the Process of Development	120	(1)
Criteria for Indicators	121	(4)
Validity and Relevance Criteria for Indicators of Children's Well Being	122	(1)
Policy Utility Criteria for Indicators of Children's Well-being	123	(1)
Validity Check for Children's Well-being Indicators	124	(1)
Associated Facilitating Conditions	125	(3)
Conclusions	128	(1)
Summary and Agenda for the Future	129	(6)
What Was This All About	129	(1)
The International Project	130	(1)
The Future	131	(2)
Future Research	131	(2)
Agenda for Future Actions	133	(1)
Prospects for Community Work	133	(1)
The Children	133	(2)
Appendix 1: State of the Child Reports	135	(4)
Appendix 2: Members of the International Project	139	(4)
Reference	143	(10)
Index	153