Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
06:48
Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
Published on: July 29, 2020
Meeting the Basic Needs of Children: Does Income Matter?
Lisa A Gennetian1, Nina Castells, Pamela Morris
1The Brookings Institution.
Children and Youth Services Review
|August 7, 2010
Summary
Monetary transfers increase low-income families' purchasing power, yielding small positive effects on children's development. Further research is needed to understand income's complex influences on child well-being.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Socioeconomic Policy
- Economics
Background:
- Income is a critical factor for meeting children's basic needs.
- Monetary transfers enhance low-income families' purchasing power.
- Methodological advancements exist in studying income's effects on child development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on income's effects on children's basic needs and cognitive development.
- To explore the nuances of how and why income impacts child development.
- To discuss future policy directions for income enhancement.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of existing research and policy evidence.
- Analysis of methodological approaches in social science research.
- Synthesis of findings on income's impact on child outcomes.
Main Results:
- A $1,000 income increase shows small, positive effects on children, typically less than 1/10th of a standard deviation.
- Income's influence on cognitive development is established but requires further investigation.
- Understanding inter-related effects on socio-emotional, mental, and physical health is crucial.
Conclusions:
- Rigorous research is needed to clarify income's mechanisms of influence on children.
- Focus should shift towards income transfers, including conditional ones, over direct investments.
- Two-generation and cafeteria-style programs represent the future of income-enhancement policies.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children from...
01:28Maslow's Theory of Basic Human Needs
Maslow's hierarchy is described with the help of a pyramidal shape. The most fundamental needs, physiological needs, are at the bottom of the pyramid.
Physiological needs such as hunger, thirst, sex, physical comfort, and survival are at the bottom of the pyramid. These are the components that are necessary to sustain life. Once the first level of needs has been met, the second level arises.
Safety needs include stability and predictability. Protection and freedom from danger are all a part of...
Physiological needs such as hunger, thirst, sex, physical comfort, and survival are at the bottom of the pyramid. These are the components that are necessary to sustain life. Once the first level of needs has been met, the second level arises.
Safety needs include stability and predictability. Protection and freedom from danger are all a part of...
01:29Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or inconsistent. For...
01:10Nature and Nurture
Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
01:30Information Processing Approach
The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...