Economic Update: Countries’ Evolving Vulnerability from a Child’s Perspective

On the heels of the unprecedented food and fuel price increases in 2007-08, global economic activity is expected to contract for the first time since the WWII. In combination, these events are likely to have a serious impact on the well-being of children in lower-income households around the world. An important step towards identifying appropriate policy responses is the frequent assessment of how and to what extent a country is being adversely affected. While it is difficult to rapidly measure the direct impact of the crisis on children, child vulnerabilities can be indirectly assessed by monitoring developments in areas that are closely related to child well-being and for which timely data is available.