children’s priority needs should have a first call on resources – a
principle accepted by most families for their own children but still
only rarely recognized in national economic policy. Dedicated
UNICEF officials have been working hard on this commitment to
economic policy work in the context of children’s rights.
Nicola Jones and Andy Sumner further support Jolly’s arguments in
“Child Poverty, Policy and Evidence: Mainstreaming Children in International
Development.” They describe the types of knowledge being generated
about the nature, extent and trends in child poverty and well-being
in developing country contexts, and discuss another way of
conceptualising child poverty and well-being: 3D child wellbeing.
Finally, they identify and discuss three clusters of factors that
support policy change: policy ideas and narratives; policy actors and
networks; and policy contexts.
A set of contributions in this volume focuses on the importance of
social protection for children. Armando Barrientos’ provocative
piece, “Just Give Money to the Poor - And Children Will Benefit,” presents
some of the most interesting points coming out of his research on
cash transfers to the poor. He addresses the positive impact for
children, especially girls, and states that direct transfers to
households in poverty are an essential component of poverty
reduction and development strategies in the South, as they enable
poor households to access services and link up to growth.
Barrientos also addresses questions related to the efficacy of child-
focused transfer programs, of the impact of cash transfers on child
labor, and the feasibility of such programs in low income countries,
among other issues.
The UN Secretary General called to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals, which “will need accelerated interventions in
key areas. These interventions should be framed within the broader
development framework of national development strategies. The