Equal Opportunities and Investing in Children: Theory, Policies and Projects

Abstract

The paper first focuses on the theoretical embeddedness of the problem, involving human, cultural and social capital theory, as well as social inclusion and exclusion theory. The second part is devoted to an overview of the respective international conventions, recommendations, and policies. Then the paper shifts to Hungarian national strategies aimed at reducing child poverty and their local implementation. Finally, the last section presents a Hungarian case study of two local development programs from a comparative perspective. The local projects are part of the national Program to Combat Child Poverty that is designed to improve the life chances of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The comparative analysis investigates the local programs’ responses to similar problems, the types of interventions and services they provide, and the forms of human and cultural capital investment they have made. Special emphasis is put on comparing local programs across different intervention areas on behalf of the Roma from the point of view of their attempts at integration and inclusion.