Landscaping and Synthesizing the Research Evidence on the Economic Inclusion of Children and Families

Abstract:
Equity and economic inclusion are central to enabling all families in our diverse society to lead healthy lives and support children’s ability to thrive in the United States. This review of the research landscape provides a high-level overview of what is known about economic inequalities and inclusion and how these affect families and children. We synthesize the research base for three areas of structural economic inequality: Housing, income and employment, and education, and what’s known about how these contribute to disparities in the health and well-being of children and families. We also briefly discuss potential solutions that could address these structural features of the U.S. economy and foster greater economic inclusion of all children and families. Overall, we find consistent evidence that inequalities in housing, income and employment, and education harm children’s health and well-being in myriad, interconnected ways.

Suggested Citation:

Chaudry, Ajay and Faber, Jacob and Yoshikawa, Hirokazu and Godfrey, Erin and Drummond, Jocelyn and Assy Hillel, Georgia and Nguyen, Mike Hoa, Landscaping and Synthesizing the Research Evidence on the Economic Inclusion of Children and Families (February 29, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4632827 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4632827

Landscaping and Synthesizing the Research Evidence on the Economic Inclusion of Children and Families (Executive Summary)

Economic inclusion means ensuring that all people and communities have equitable opportunities to participate in and benefit from the economy. It is central to building a culture and economy that enables all families and children to thrive and lead healthy lives. 

In the United States, many individuals live without the resources to meet their families’ needs and to see their children thrive. Tremendous structural barriers and historical legacies rooted in racism and discrimination, insufficient social protections, and lack of quality education and job opportunities exclude some communities from full participation in the economy. This exclusion negatively impacts health and well-being in significant ways.

This review summarizes the research literature on how housing and residential, segregation, income and employment, and education contribute to economic inequality and could support economic inclusion and improve child, family and community health and well-being. 
Our discussions and research found that whether or not families have access to good housing, jobs, and education can have a considerable impact on the well-being and health of children. We describe how these parts of the economy function to include or exclude families, and what their impacts are on the health and well-being of families and children. We also provide suggestions for changes that promote greater economic inclusion for all.

Read the full Executive Summary of Landscaping and Synthesizing the Research Evidence on the Economic Inclusion of Children and Families at the link.
 

Listening to How Communities Experience the Economy and Seek Economic Inclusion

Economic inclusion, or the ability to participate and prosper within the broad sectors of the economy, is central to building a culture in the United States that enables all families to lead healthy lives and support their children’s ability to thrive. Substantial academic literature exists that describes causes and impacts of inequitable economic structures and potential ways to address economic exclusion. However, the perspectives and expertise of those who are systematically excluded from fixtures of the economy, such as secure housing, good jobs, and quality education, are far less considered, and are often left out of these conversations and analyses. To better understand the experiences of families and what they believe will help them and their children to be full participants in the economy, it is critical to listen to communities and center the expertise and lived realities of individuals that face the greatest economic exclusion.

To this end, New York University’s (NYU) Institute of Human Development and Social Change (IHDSC) partnered with four Community-based Organizations (CBOs) serving low-income families and communities to conduct focus groups. The goals of these focus group conversations were to better understand how the United States economy impacts individuals' day-to-day lives, how these challenges affect their families’ health and well-being, and to identify community perspectives on what must change to build an inclusive economy in which everyone can thrive. 

Read the full synthesis of focus group conversations at the link.
 

Education Programs and Policies to Foster Equity and Inclusion

The landscaping review, alongside conversations with families and service providers, revealed the critical role of education as a primary driver and dimension of economic inclusion. Indeed, economic and other forms of exclusion along structural dimensions of race, immigration, and sexual and gender identity afflict U.S. education systems from the early childhood period through higher education, with implications for learning, educational attainment, and mental and physical health (Chaudry et al., 2024). What is required is not only a new vision for ensuring access and quality of opportunity in education, but a focus on assuring that educational spaces are ones of inclusion that support equity and thriving, not ones that exclude and harm. This brief lays out some possible structural solutions that could foster economic inclusion through improvements to current educational systems and structures. In each of the following sections on early care and education, primary and secondary education, and higher education, we discuss 1) approaches to ensuring access and quality in education systems, and 2) promising efforts to promote inclusion in educational settings. In so doing, we highlight structural solutions that reduce economic barriers to educational access, quality, and inclusion and are attentive to the broad array of structural barriers facing families, including systemic racism and discrimination, gender disparities, xenophobia, and inadequate social protection.

Read the complete landscaping review of education programs at this link.