The Promise of Universal Child Benefits: the Foundational Policy for Economic and Social Development
This policy brief, released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) with UNICEF and the Learning for Well-Being Institute and featuring two CPSP co-authors, Megan Curran and David Harris, provides a resource for countries looking to enhance an existing child benefit policy or establish a universal child benefit.
Universal child benefits (UCBs) can act as the foundation for a comprehensive and adequate system of child social protection. Paid as regular cash or tax transfers to families for their dependent children, they constitute a core type of social protection policy that can effectively reduce disparities in child social protection coverage, reduce child poverty and generate positive returns on public investment within and across countries. Approximately 50 countries currently operate some form of UCB policy, but there exists wide variation in benefit amounts, delivery, coverage and other aspects. Policy design has a decisive effect on results. This brief explains what UCBs are, catalogues where and on what terms they currently exist around the world, reviews the existing evidence on how UCBs contribute to child poverty reduction and other goals, identifies specific design considerations to create an optimally designed UCB policy and outlines the goals that UCBs can help to meet when designed well.
Brief issued by the ILO with UNICEF and the Learning for Well-Being Institute. Authored by Dominic Richardson (formerly UNICEF, now Learning for Well-Being Institute), Ian Orton (ILO), David Stewart (formerly UNICEF), Megan A. Curran (CPSP Policy Director), David Harris (CPSP and UNICEF Innocenti Senior Research Fellow), Christina Behrendt (ILO), Natalia Winder-Rossi (UNICEF), André Costa Santos (ILO), and Tomoo Okubo (formerly UNICEF).
Suggested Citation:
ILO, UNICEF and Learning for Well-Being Institute. 2024. The Promise of Universal Child Benefits: The Foundational Policy for Development. Geneva.