Children in different life contexts: experiences, citizenship and wellbeing.

Interdisciplinary perspectives 26-27 September 2014, Torino

_______________________________________________________

Agency vs. Structure: Questioning the conceptual

frameworks of child poverty studies (Grace Alenoma, PhD

student, GSSPS-SOCME University of Milan)

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Presentation outline

o Objective of the presentation

Introduction/background

Dominant conceptual framework for child poverty Studies

Other theoretical frameworks for childhood studies

Why it is important to look beyond the dominant framework

Operational definition of child poverty for my PhD project

Proposed framework for the study

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

This presentation is part of my PhD project which is at the proposal stage, titled:

Child Poverty in Northern Ghanaian Rural Communities: Do the Social

Constructions of childhood count?

This communication has two objectives:

1. To interrogate the dominant theoretical and conceptual frameworks popularized and

used by child poverty researchers.

2. Argue for a widening of the existing framework for studying child poverty that can

help to unveil not only to:

i. understand children lived experiences of poverty

but also:

ii. unpack the underlying source (s) /causes of child poverty

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Introduction/background

Child poverty is multidimensional and different from poverty associated with

adults because children needs are different from adults (Jones & Sumner, 2011

Children who live in poverty, live with no adequate livelihoods, opportunities for development

as human beings, families and communities that care and protect them and are also without a

voice (Marshall, 2003). Thus child poverty should be defined in terms of child well-being with 3-

Dimensions (material, subjective and relational (Jones and Sumner, 2011).

Children who live in poverty experience deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional

resources they need to survive, develop and thrive and are unable to enjoy their rights, achieve

their full potential and participate as full and equal members of society UNICEF (2005a).

o Base on these understandings of child poverty and its distinctive nature from poverty in

general, children poverty could be high and hidden in the context of poverty indices

associated with all people in society.

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

For example:

Percentage of people living in poverty (determined by household income, expenditure and

consumption) in Ghana have been on the declined (Ghana Statistical Service, GLSS 5, 2008)

But there are indications of child poverty.

Year

% of Ghanaians living in poverty

1991/1992 51.7

1998/1999 39.5

2005/2006 28.5

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

There are no studies specifically to determine child poverty in Ghana

But knowledge on child poverty is gathered from the GDHS, specific sectors such as Education

and other indications of child poverty such as the phenomena of street children, child labour

and independent child migration (mainly from rural to urban areas).

Percentage of children in Ghana between 6 and 59 months old:

Stunted wasted underweight

28% 9% 14%

Rural children are more likely to be stunted (32%) than urban children (21%).

Anemia prevalence among the same age group is 78% and high for rural children (84%) than urban

children (68%) (GSS, GDHS, 2006)

Child stunting, wasting and underweight are indications of child poverty because they are

associated with food intake (quantity and nutritional content (ICF Macro, 2010).

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Introd. Cont.

Other indications of child poverty

There are other useful clues of the incidence of child poverty and child vulnerability to poverty

in the studies of street children in Ghana (Beauchemin, 1999), (Hatloy & Huser, 2005), (Agya,

2007), and ( Alenoma, 2012) and independent child migration from rural north to urban south

(Anarfi & Appiah , 2009) .

Reports from DVVSU indicates high incidence of child neglect, while studies indicate high school

dropout s.

Researchers from both academic and non-academic institutions, recognizing the need for

knowledge on child poverty as a distinctive phenomenon different from poverty associated with

all persons including children, have carried out studies to fill the gap in literature on child

poverty. These studies have provided a wealth of knowledge about children poverty

Some of these studies include :

The Young Lives project, which carries out longitudinal studies in developing countries e.g

Ethiopia, Tanzania, and others such as (Marshall, 2003;Tafere , 2012; Ridge 2009 and Campfield,

2010).

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Dominant conceptual framework used to study child

poverty

The conceptual/theoretical framework that guided all these studies is “agency” which is

located within the context of the dichotomous Agency-Structure debate in modern sociological

theory).

• “Agency” as is applied in child poverty studies, is the idea that children are active social agents

worth of study and

the capability approach:

they are capable of contributing to knowledge on child poverty and yet their voices are scarcely

heard on matters that affect them.

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Other theoretical frameworks in Childhood studies

Biological definition of children base on chronological age are almost universal and are based on

the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This always guide the selection of children as participants in studies involve children including

the agency framework.

But there are other conceptions of childhood based on the social, cultural and economic

context (Honwana and De Boeck, 2005)

Children are considered as ‘Being', ‘Becoming' and ‘Belonging' (Uprichard, 2008), 'makers' and

'breakers' (Honwana and De Boeck, 2005).

In the medieval era, children were perceived as evil, innocent and immanent (Prout, 1990) in

(James and James ,2001).

The dominance of the agency framework in child poverty studies stems from the general

theoretical and conceptualization of childhood.

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

The Agency framework is good, because it has helped in the generation of data

on child poverty and indeed, revealed high levels of poverty among children base

on children own experiences of poverty. (Young Lives Project, Marshall,

2003;Tafere , 2012; Ridge 2009 and Campfield, 2010) and DFID and WB.

The Big question? To know and understand child poverty and from children own experiences for What?

Addressing child poverty will require, in addition to children’s knowledge of it,

the underlying causes of children poverty especially in the context of declining

trends of poverty in general as the situation is in Ghana.

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Why it is important to look beyond the dominant

framework

In Ghana, and also in most developing countries, there are institutional and legal provisions and

arrangements to prevent child poverty and enhance child well-being. E.g the ACRWC, the

1998 children’s Act of Ghana, Free Compulsory and Universal Basic Education, School Feeding

programmes and other social protection policies to aimed at poor and vulnerable people but

indirectly at improving the well-being of children.

These not withstanding, children are living in poverty.

As a renown Ghanaian Social Anthropologist G.K. Nukunya argued in his book Tradition and

Change in Ghana: An Introduction to sociology the notion that Ghanaians love children which in

the past reflected in all the efforts mothers in particular will put to ensure that their children do

not suffer cannot be considered valid anymore.

From all said:

Do the socio-cultural construction or conception of children contribute to child poverty?

I am arguing that, to understand child poverty in a more broaden manner, the theoretical and

conceptual framework for studying child poverty should be informed by the broader theorizing

of childhood because the agency framework alone is inadequate in understanding child poverty

in a manner that can yield adequate policy recommendations for redress.

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Why it is important to look beyond the dominant

framework

From a structural and post-structural perspective, though children are ‘agency,’ independent

social actors, they are also located within the socio-cultural, structural, historical and

institutional arrangements of society.

Within the structural arrangements, there are different spaces for children and adults; most

often determined by adults and these are reinforced by socio-cultural arrangements, determined

and enforced by both children (whose agency is small) and adults (whose agency is big).

Thus, both agency and structure theoretical frameworks are important for a more holistic

study of child poverty.

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

For my PhD project:

Operationalization of the concept of child poverty base on the

3D of well-being by (Jones and Sumner, 2011).

Child poverty 1. MATERIAL

based on:

- deprivation and survival

- Insufficient food intake (quantity, quality &frequency)

- No access to and/or utilization of formal education opportunities

- Lack the required educational materials (books, uniforms, footwear etc.

- Clothes

- No access to housing ( bad sleeping place, no access to and utilization of improved sanitation at home

-Health (health needs not met in times of illness)

- Work (Child engage in work that jeopardize their physical development and future

2. SUBJECTIVE

children:

-do not find any meaning in life

-low level of satisfaction with their families and communities

-aspirations and hopes in life are shattered

-have no sense of worth and dignity in life

3. RELATIONAL

children :

- have no say in family and community decisions especially on matters that affect them

- neglected and not protected against exploitation, abuse and violence by family and community

- do not interact very well with parents/guardians and are not loved and cared for

- cannot rely on other relatives and community members for support

-

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Proposed framework for child poverty studies

Different social space

for adults and children

rooted children position in the social space and the

STRUCTURE is weak compared to adults (constructivist) (they are dependent on adults)

AGENCY STRUCTURE

Children agency

Adults agency

To understand social constructions of children

and its relation to children poverty

Analyze Interactions

between adults and children

(But this is inadequate) Analyze practices (Bourdieu, 1977)

Phenomenology

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies

Thank you for your attention.

Grazie!

Agency vrs Structure: Questioning the

theoretical framework of child poverty

studies