Inequality, children, and the SDGs: a critical enquiry

Jan Vandemoortele

Chapter 2 in Handbook on Child Poverty and Inequality, 2025, pp 36-52 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fail to address inequality in earnest, a shortcoming that could readily be fixed by introducing fitting indicators. But mainstream economics denies the importance of inequality. The chapter documents how profoundly it influences the way people feel, think, vote, behave, see, and relate to others. The belief that inequality is merely the result of a meritocratic system is exposed as a fallacy. Inequality has far-reaching effects on the physical, cognitive, and psychological development of children, poor and non-poor alike. Those who grow up in the context of high inequality face worse outcomes in terms of mental health, social attitudes, and personal virtues. Just as poverty reduction must begin with children, so must the quest for equity. Until inequality is addressed in earnest, social bonds will continue to unravel, and the climate and the environment may collapse, leading to major reversals in human development. Nothing is more pressing today than to address inequality.

Keywords: Inequality; Psychosomatic effects; Sustainable Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781802200423
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