A NETWORK ON RESEARCH INTO CHILD POVERTY
Objectives:
Overall Objective:
To consult, coordinate and develop a common body of knowledge with the goal to influence research, policies and actions of importance for Child Poverty and Child Well-Being.
Primary consideration should be given to the situation of children in the developing world (transition, middle and low income countries) and to stimulate and provide support to researchers from developing countries.
Specific Objectives:
Strengthen the evidence base. Promote research on childhood poverty with better international uptake and analysis of existing data sets (e.g. MICS) on the topic.
Establish mechanisms for dissemination of research findings, and for stimulating evidence-based advocacy on childhood poverty issues internationally. Develop instruments to inform evidence-based policy briefs targeted at key policy Stakeholders. In particular, seek to make available to key policy makers state of the art perspectives and evidence on child poverty.
Promote the development of appropriate research methodologies, methods, analytical tools and concepts through the regular exchange of learning from the various research initiatives.
Support capacity building in research methodology, methods and concepts, focusing on young scholars in developing countries engaging in constructive dialogue on research.
Activities:
1) Organize face-to-face meetings, within and outside the network, as a mechanism for consultation and cross-fertilization, with emphasis on the nexus of research (methods and findings) and policy. (The first of these meetings will be held as a side event at the CRC anniversary conference being planned for 2009.)
2) Develop internet-based communication capacity as a way to promote easy and regular exchange among network members. The intent is to draw on existing resources to establish a web-based network and feed into a host website (housed, for example, within the Childwatch website) that would both facilitate communication and exchange, and serve as a repository for relevant resources.
Through this web the network will promote/facilitate:
Systematic consultation and cross fertilization of research into child poverty/child wellbeing
Sharing information and communication tools. (E-newsletter.)
Combination of research that is carried out by different organisations
Access to relevant websites
Dissemination of information of datasets etc.
3) Develop and support capacity building activities with emphasis in developing countries. Drawing on existing resources (for example, UNICEF’s the Young Lives Project, multi-country Study, the training experience developed by The New School, networking assets of the Comparative Research Programme on Poverty, etc.) the network will:
· Support the use of quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the situation of children living in poverty and the impact of socio economic policies. This might include the organization of international initiatives to promote the use of existing data on child poverty.
· Promote the development of training activities, materials, and courses on child poverty including conceptualization, methods and measurement, and programs and policies. Regional workshops also will be pursued as a key capacity building activity.
· Seek to influence the academic and research organizations to include child poverty into current curricula and research agendas.
· Support the exchange of research staff among organizations that belong to the network.
4) Develop collaborative research endeavours on child poverty among network members. If successful, the communication and capacity building activities noted above should facilitate the improvement in quality of existing research and promote the development of new and policy relevant research projects. The network will provide members with:
· Information about existing and emerging research funding opportunities
· A mechanism to promote the development of collaborative research proposals
· A forum within which to share and comment on one another's research
· A mechanism to promote north-south and south-south research partnerships
· A means to keep research initiatives grounded in policy and policy priorities
On membership:
The network should include:
· Institutions working on the issue of child poverty with a human rights based approach.
· Institutions and people from academia, the multilaterals and international NGOs.
Organizing members of the Network:
1. New School, NY
2. Young Lives, DFID
3. SCF-UK and alliance,
4. UNICEF IRC and NY,
5. Childwatch,
6. CROP, Comparative Research Programme on Poverty.
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