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The impact of economic crisis on children

The magnitude of the East Asian financial crisis that has pushed millions of people into poverty is clearly visible in Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world. In 1997 the economies of its neighbours collapsed and the Indonesian currency lost 70 per cent of its value in just one year. Working with the UNICEF office in Indonesia, the Centre is focusing on the human face of the economic and financial crisis. The Project documents the work of UNICEF's 'Families in Focus' approach to the collection of social statistics in Indonesia, for possible use in other countries and will report the findings of research from 100 Indonesian villages, carried out since 1995. The databases of UNICEF and the Government of Indonesia have been used to examine child well-being in the country. The Project launched four publications in 2001: Working Paper 81, analysing data gathered from 100 villages, Working Paper 82, an assessment of the school scholarship programme, Working Paper 83, examining the 'family in focus' approach to social development and the Innocenti Insight Beyond Krismon, an advocacy document drawing all of this information together.

Publications

The Rhetoric of International Development Targets and the Reality of Official Development Assistance
Publication

The Rhetoric of International Development Targets and the Reality of Official Development Assistance

Within the last decade governments of donors and developing countries have committed themselves to achieving a number of International Development Targets (IDTs) to be reached by 2015. But the task is daunting for most of the low-income countries.
Is EFA Affordable? Estimating the global minimum cost of 'Education for All'
Publication

Is EFA Affordable? Estimating the global minimum cost of 'Education for All'

Progress towards the target of universal access to basic education by the year 2000, set by two global conferences in 1990, has been too slow in many countries. Most of the reasons for this inadequate progress are country-specific. However, in virtually all countries one explanation stands out: inadequate public finance for primary education.
The 'Family-in-Focus' Approach: Developing policy-oriented monitoring and analysis of human development in Indonesia
Publication

The 'Family-in-Focus' Approach: Developing policy-oriented monitoring and analysis of human development in Indonesia

Socio-economic and political turmoil in Indonesia has had an impact on the country's thirty years of progress in social development. However, it has also opened up new avenues for participation and region-specific policy formulation alongside growing demand for new approaches to the monitoring and analysis of social change. This paper examines the Family-in-Focus Approach - a comprehensive lifespan-based concept of human development.
An Analysis of the Role of Social Safety Net Scholarships in Reducing School Drop-Out during the Indonesian Economic Crisis
Publication

An Analysis of the Role of Social Safety Net Scholarships in Reducing School Drop-Out during the Indonesian Economic Crisis

Accompanying the dramatic decline in Indonesia’s economic fortunes in the late 1990s was an appropriate concern for the social impact of the crisis - its effect on poverty, health, fertility, child labour and school enrolment rates. This paper uses regression and matching techniques to examine the role played by the scholarship programme in producing this result.
The Impact of the Indonesian Financial Crisis on Children: An analysis using the 100 villages data
Publication

The Impact of the Indonesian Financial Crisis on Children: An analysis using the 100 villages data

This paper examines the impact of the Asian crisis on children in Indonesia. School attendance dropped slightly after the onset of the crisis but has since rebounded to higher than pre-crisis levels. Fewer children are now working, although the older children who are working and are not attending school seem to be working longer hours.
Beyond Krismon: The social legacy of Indonesia's financial crisis
Publication

Beyond Krismon: The social legacy of Indonesia's financial crisis

Most of the countries caught up in the Asian financial crisis appear to have weathered the storm. But Indonesia's prospects are far more uncertain. The financial turbulence of the Krisis Moneter, or Krismon, set off a dramatic social and political chain reaction, with effects on children that could reverberate for years to come.
Integrating Economic and Social Policy: Good practices from high achieving countries
Publication

Integrating Economic and Social Policy: Good practices from high achieving countries

This paper examines the successes of ten 'high-achievers' - countries with social indicators far higher than might be expected given their national wealth. Their progress in such fields as education and health offers lessons for social policy elsewhere in the developing world.