Benefits of Multidimensional Measures of Child Well Being in China

• Main Authors: Shirley Gatenio Gabel, Yiwei Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-11-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: child well-being; multidimensional well-being; multidimensional poverty; China; children; child indicators
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/11/1349

In recent decades, measures of child well-being have evolved from single dimension to multidimensional measures. Multi-dimensional measures deepen and broaden our understanding of child well-being and inform us of areas of neglect. Child well-being in China today is measured through proxy measures of household need. This paper discusses the evolution of child well-being measures more generally, explores the benefits of positive indicators and multiple dimensions in formulating policy, and then reviews efforts to date by the Chinese government, researchers, and non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations to develop comprehensive multidimensional measures of child well-being in China. The domains and their potential interactions, as well as data sources and availability, are presented. The authors believe that child well-being in China would benefit from the development of a multidimensional index and that there is sufficient data to develop such an index.