The recent UNICEF report on child poverty found that some 47 million children in 'rich' countries live in families so poor that their health and well-being are at risk. In Britain, 20% of young people live below the poverty line, compared with just 5% in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Child poverty and the well-being of children is an important policy issue throughout the industrialised world. This volume brings together economists, sociologists and social policy analysts from America, Australia, and Europe, who have been studying the extent of child poverty, its consequences for children and the effectiveness of social policy in preventing child poverty. The approach of this volume is therefore multidisciplinary and international in scope. The volume combines contributions from twenty American, Australian and European authors. The main themes addressed in this volume are: · the extent and trend of child poverty in industrialised nations · outcomes for children - an analysis of the relationship between childhood experiences and children's health, educational attainment and so on · country studies and emerging issues · child and family policies All the contributions to the volume underline the need for a comprehensive policy to reduce child poverty rates and to improve the well-being of children. Clear findings are presented to allow for easy identification of focus points for policy makers committed to the reduction of child poverty. This book is therefore important reading for everyone interested in poverty and inequalities, welfare and social exclusion, and child and family welfare.