Confronting Inequality How Policies and Practices Shape Children's Opportunities

All children deserve the best possible future. But in this era of increasing economic and social inequality, more and more children are being denied their fair chance at life. This book examines the impact of inequality on children’s health and education, and offers a blueprint for addressing the impact of inequality among children in economic, sociological, and psychological domains. Chapters examine a wide range of studies including exposure to stress and its biological consequences; the impact of federal programs offering access to nutrition for mothers and children; the impact of parental decision-making and child support systems; the effects of poverty on child care and quality of education, parental engagement with schools, parent-child interactions, friendship networks, and more. The book concludes with commentaries from leading scholars about the state of the field, and efforts to help mitigate the effects of inequality for children in the US and throughout the world.    
 

Laura Tach, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Policy Analysis and Management and Sociology (by courtesy) at Cornell University. Her research and teaching interests focus on poverty and social policy. She co-directs Cornell Project 2Gen, an initiative of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research that serves as a hub for research, policy, and practice that supports vulnerable caregivers and children together.  Prior to joining the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell, Laura was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.  Visit https://www.human.cornell.edu/people/lmt88.

Rachel Dunifon, PhD is Interim Dean of the College of Human Ecology and Professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University. Prior to joining Cornell as a faculty member in 2001 she was the recipient of an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan. Dunifon’s research focuses on child and family policy, examining the ways in which policies, programs and family settings influence the development of less-advantaged children. Dunifon is co-director of Project 2GEN, which combines research, policy, and practice to address the needs of vulnerable children and their parents together.  Visit https://www.human.cornell.edu/people/red26

Douglas L. Miller, PhD is Associate Chair and Professor of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University. His research interests include applied econometrics, and social policy, with an emphasis on demographically and economically vulnerable populations as well as the relationship between the economic environment and health outcomes. Prior to joining the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, he was a member of the Economics Department at UC Davis. Visit https://www.human.cornell.edu/people/dlm336
 

Contributors

Introduction. What Does it Take to Improve Equality of Opportunity for Children?

Part 1. Health
Chapter 1. Reducing Stress Disparities: Pathways to Equity through the Study of Stress Biology
Chapter 2. Does the WIC Program Promote Equality of Opportunity in Early Life?
Chapter 3. How Do Early Life Health Experiences Affect Future Generations’ Equality of Opportunity?

Part 2. Family
Chapter 4. Behavioral Insights and Parental Decision-Making
Chapter 5. ‘Whatever They Need’: Helping Poor Children through In-Kind Support

Part 3. Neighborhoods & Schools
Chapter 6. Promoting Equality of Opportunity by Investing Early: Recommendations for Longitudinal Research
Chapter 7. Does School Spending Matter? The New Literature on an Old Question
Chapter 8. How Parents and Children Adapt to New Neighborhoods: Considerations for Future Housing Mobility Programs

Part 4. Multidisciplinary Commentary
Chapter 9: Core Concepts from the Bioecological Model of Human Development
Chapter 10: Education and Equality of Opportunity
Chapter 11: Multigenerational Influences on Child Development

Conclusion