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'Poor children grow into poor adults': harmful mechanisms or over-deterministic theory?

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  • Shahin Yaqub

    (Sussex University, UK)

Abstract

Does childhood poverty lead to adult poverty? Evidence shows childhood is a sensitive period for developing cognition, physical vitality and personality. This is traceable to specific behavioural and biological mechanisms. However such science could easily drive over-deter ministic views about how childhood affects later life. The paper therefore discusses how damage from childhood poverty can-at least sometimes and partially-be resisted or reversed, both during childhood and in adulthood. As people reach biological maturity, alterations to their developmental trajectories rely increasingly on alterations in behavioural relationships. Opportunities remain vital throughout life for sustained socioeconomic attainment. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Shahin Yaqub, 2002. "'Poor children grow into poor adults': harmful mechanisms or over-deterministic theory?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(8), pages 1081-1093.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jintdv:v:14:y:2002:i:8:p:1081-1093
    DOI: 10.1002/jid.951
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    Cited by:

    1. Shahin Yaqub, 2009. "Independent Child Migrants in Developing Countries: Unexplored links in migration and development," Papers inwopa09/62, Innocenti Working Papers.
    2. Behrman, Jere R., 2010. "Investment in Education Inputs and Incentives," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Dani Rodrik & Mark Rosenzweig (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 4883-4975, Elsevier.
    3. John A. Maluccio, & John Hoddinott & Jere R. Behrman & Reynaldo Martorell & Agnes R. Quisumbing & Aryeh D. Stein, 2003. "The Impact of Nutrition during Early Childhood on Education among Guatemalan Adults," PIER Working Paper Archive 06-026, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 01 Aug 2006.
    4. Laura Camfield & Keetie Roelen, 2013. "Household Trajectories in Rural Ethiopia: What Can a Mixed Method Approach Tell Us About the Impact of Poverty on Children?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 113(2), pages 729-749, September.
    5. Najla Abdallah Mohammed Ahmed & Sharifah Muhairah Shahabudin & Kuppusamy Singaravelloo, 2022. "Effect of Economic Hardship, Deprivation and Peer Influence on Street Children in Khartoum, Sudan," Journal of Public Administration and Governance, Macrothink Institute, vol. 12(2), pages 78101-78101, December.
    6. Jo Boyden, 2007. "Questioning the Power of Resilience:Are Children Up To the Task of Disrupting the Transmission of Poverty?," Working Papers id:1053, eSocialSciences.
    7. Caroline Harper, 2002. "Recent approaches to understanding policy and action for eradicating childhood poverty," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(8), pages 1075-1079.
    8. Nicola Jones & Andy Sumner, 2009. "Does Mixed Methods Research Matter to Understanding Childhood Well-Being?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 90(1), pages 33-50, January.
    9. Yaqub, Shahin, 2010. "Does age-at-migration in childhood affect migrant socioeconomic achievements in adulthood?," MPRA Paper 27935, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Katie Wright, 2016. "Intergenerational Transfers over the Life Course: Addressing Temporal and Gendered Complexities via a Human Well-being Approach," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 16(3), pages 278-288, July.

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