Children of Austerity: Impact of the Great Recession on Child Poverty in Rich Countries

Children of Austerity: Impact of the Great Recession on Child Poverty in Rich Countries

AUTHOR(S)
Yekaterina Chzhen; Sudhanshu Handa; Brian Nolan; Bea Cantillon

Published: 2017 Miscellanea
The 2008 financial crisis triggered the worst global recession since the Great Depression. Many OECD countries responded to the crisis by reducing social spending. Through 11 diverse country case studies (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States), this volume describes the evolution of child poverty and material well-being during the crisis, and links these outcomes with the responses by governments. The analysis underlines that countries with fragmented social protection systems were less able to protect the incomes of households with children at the time when unemployment soared. In contrast, countries with more comprehensive social protection cushioned the impact of the crisis on households with children, especially if they had implemented fiscal stimulus packages at the onset of the crisis. Although the macroeconomic 'shock' itself and the starting positions differed greatly across countries, while the responses by governments covered a very wide range of policy levers and varied with their circumstances, cuts in social spending and tax increases often played a major role in the impact that the crisis had on the living standards of families and children.
Independent Institutions Protecting Children's Rights

Independent Institutions Protecting Children's Rights

AUTHOR(S)
Gerison Lansdown

Published: 2001 Innocenti Digest
This Digest focuses on independent human rights institutions for children, and the urgent need to create such institutions in every country in the world to protect, promote, and monitor children's rights. Children are among the most vulnerable group in any society, with no vote, no access to the powerful lobbies that influence government agendas, and little access to the legal system and courts to protect their rights. Their needs in terms of education, health, child care, and housing are critical, and the costs of failing children are high for any society. This Digest evaluates the effectiveness and impact of existing institutions, examines the essential characteristics required if such institutions are to fulfil their functions, and challenges the objections frequently presented. Information on existing independent, statutory bodies - their constitutional base, mandate and activities - is also included.
Child Poverty Dynamics in Seven Nations

Child Poverty Dynamics in Seven Nations

AUTHOR(S)
Bruce Bradbury; Stephen P. Jenkins; John Micklewright

Published: 2000 Innocenti Working Papers
This paper compares child poverty dynamics cross-nationally using panel data from seven nations: the USA, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, and Russia. As well as using standard relative poverty definitions the paper examines flows into and out of the poorest fifth of the children's income distribution. Significant (but not total) uniformity in patterns of income mobility and poverty dynamics across the seven countries is found. The key exception is Russia, where the economic transition has led to a much higher degree of mobility. Interestingly, the USA which has the highest level of relative poverty among the rich nations, has a mobility rate which, if anything, is less than that of the other nations.
Cite this publication | No. of pages: 48 | Thematic area: Child Poverty | Tags: child poverty, comparative analysis, income distribution, industrialized countries | Publisher: UNICEF IRC
Income Inequality and Mobility in Hungary 1992-96

Income Inequality and Mobility in Hungary 1992-96

AUTHOR(S)
Peter Galasi

The first half of the 1990s brought major changes to Hungary. The positive sides of the transformation in the Hungarian economy and society were accompanied by less welcome aspects - a sharp fall in GDP, double-digit unemployment and falling real incomes. How have children fared in these circumstances? This paper considers the changing position of children in the Hungarian income distribution, comparing it to that of the elderly - another potentially vulnerable group whose incomes, like those of households with children, are a concern for policymakers.
Cite this publication | No. of pages: 34 | Thematic area: Countries in Transition | Tags: child welfare, economic transition, income distribution, vulnerable groups | Publisher: UNICEF ICDC, Florence
The Implications of Exhausting Unemployment Insurance Entitlement in Hungary

The Implications of Exhausting Unemployment Insurance Entitlement in Hungary

AUTHOR(S)
John Micklewright; Gyula Nagy

The single most likely way to leave the unemployment insurance (UI) register in Hungary is not by getting a job but by running out of benefit. This situation raises two questions. First, what are the implications of the cessation of UI for living standards? Second, does UI exhaustion have much effect on the probability of getting a job through increasing incentives to work? The authors investigate these issues with a survey of persons exhausting entitlement to UI in summer 1995, paying special attention to the household circumstances of the unemployed and the probabilities of claiming and being awarded means-tested assistance benefit.
Cite this publication | No. of pages: 28 | Thematic area: Countries in Transition | Tags: economic transition | Publisher: UNICEF ICDC, Florence
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