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Summary: This book illustrates how economic
policies affect children by using a set
of concentric circles moving
outwards. At the hub are policies
and legislation that explicitly target
children, for example, public provision
for primary health and education.
By the International Save the Children Alliance Europe Group*
including an introduction by Dr. Stefan de Vylder.
*Save the Children organisations in France, Sweden, UK, Norway,
Romania,Spain, Italy, Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece,
Macedonia, Finland, Faroe Islands, the International Save the
Children Alliance European office.
This book illustrates how economic policies affect children by
using
a set of concentric circles moving outwards. At the hub are
policies
and legislation that explicitly target children, for example, public
provision for primary health and education. Here, the effects are
direct and help safeguard children's rights. Social policies occupy
the second circle, including most social security and
welfare policies, and policies that directly affect the family. EU
policies are in the next circle, such as the EU's budget and
regional
policy. The next circle contains general policies where the impact
on
children may be strong but indirect, such as fiscal and monetary
policies and the formation of the Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU).The effects on children of EU trade policies and the creation
of a single market are included in the outer circle. Globalisation is
in the final circle.
'Children, Economics and the EU - towards child friendly policies'
also examines the biggest financial experiment in modern times -
Economic and Monetary Union - and contains a discussion of the
possible effects on children of EMU. If EMU is a success, it is
likely that benefits for children may result, but EMU has the
potential to be destabilising too - if EMU results in tight controls
on public expenditure this will impose new ceilings on resources
available for children. At present, EMU is a child blind policy.
Divided into six chapters, this book also includes the views of
children and young people in Save the Children's European
region.
Chapter one introduces and establishes links between children
and
macroeconomic policies. Chapter two examines the Economic and
Monetary Union. Chapter three contains a budget analysis of
expenditure on children inside and outside the EU. Chapter four
examines trade and co-operation agreements that affect children
and
to what extent children?s rights and needs are integrated into
them.
Chapter five describes existing child-impact studies and tools and
makes recommendations for the development of tools for
economic child-
impact analysis. Chapter six
draws conclusions from the book and makes a summary of its
recommendations.
Politicians, economic policy makers, economists, European NGOs,
children's rights advocates and journalists will all find this book a
stimulating and informative read in an exciting new area of policy.