Measuring Child and Youth Well-being for Enhancing Political Commitment and Decision-making Processes: the Case of Latvia
Measuring Child and Youth Well-being for Enhancing Political Commitment and Decision-making Processes: the Case of Latvia

Summary/Abstract: European Cohort Development Project is striving for the improvement of the quality of life for children and young people. To enhance a long-term improvement of children’s and young people’s wellbeing in European countries, it is necessary to carry out a longitudinal research which would (1) help to understand transitions in young peoples’ lives, i.e. the step from education to the labour market; (2) enable researchers to identify patterns of change, i.e. the dynamics and the factors associated with children and young people being satisfied with their lives; (3) be used retrospectively to identify the circum≠stances and experiences in earlier life that impact a given outcome later; (4) be applied prospectively to make predictions about the outcomes of particular circumstances and experiences in life occurring at particular points in time. European Cohort Development project proposes activities to advance the understanding of a wider community and policy-makers about the nature and necessity of longitudinal research. To succeed in organizing work with policymakers, different contemporary methods are employed. One of such methods is Rapid Policy Network Mapping (Bainbridge et al., 2011), which allows identifying the policy network the organizations are involved in and define their roles. Policy Network Mapping is a lasting process which begins with determining the possible important network of the respective field, it continues with interviewing organization representatives involved in the network and drawing the bounds of the network, as well as defining the roles of organizations involved in the network (Influencer, Owner / Decision Maker, Influencer / Deliverer, Deliverer). When the main organizations involved in the network are established, work with most important policy makers begins. In order to map policy networks and to develop a communication platform with which to influence decision makers in Latvia for political and financial support for EuroCohort, the policy network “Improving the Quality of Education” was chosen as the most important and widespread in the country. At the same time, this network is also the most problematic one because of permanent changes in the education system at all levels of pre-school education institutions, basic and secondary schools, higher education establishments. The paper offered here describes the above mentioned policy network mapping process and its specific features.

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