Youth Migration and Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries THE ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science July 2013, Volume 648 Editors: Fatima Juarez, Thomas LeGrand, Cynthia Lloyd, Susheela Singh and Véronique Hertrich Currently, it is estimated that there are 1.1 billion young people aged 15–24 in the developing world, accounting for nearly one-fifth (18.6 percent) of the total population. During this time of life, young people experience enormous changes due to physical maturation, which is accompanied by cognitive, social/emotional, and interpersonal changes. It is a period when the influence of parents and families gradually diminishes and the influence of external factors, such as peers; the media; the educational environment; and, more generally, the economic, social, and cultural environments in which they live, are increasingly prominent. The articles in this volume of The ANNALS can be classified by three themes: migration in the context of transitions to adulthood, including schooling, employment, and family formation; consequences of migration for health, reproductive outcomes, and childbearing; and migration strategies and consequences. All the articles presented here are innovative in their approach, and their findings advance our understanding of youths’ migration and transitions to adulthood in developing countries. These studies and their findings clearly attest to the enormous diversity of situations of youth migration, transitions to adulthood, and the contexts in which they occur across developing countries. For some adolescents and young adults, migration brings with it very serious risks and often negative consequences, while for others it opens horizons and is associated with expanding opportunities in both the social and economic spheres. Paperback: $35.00, Sale Price $28.00, ISBN: 9781483333182 Hardcover: $48.00, Sale Price $38.40, ISBN: 9781483333175

The challenges for young people making the transition to adulthood are greater today than ever before. Globalization, with its power to reach across national boundaries and into the smallest communities, carries with it the transformative power of new markets and new technology. At the same time, globalization brings with it new ideas and lifestyles that can conflict with traditional norms and values. And while the economic benefits are potentially enormous, the actual course of globalization has not been without its critics who charge that, to date, the gains have been very unevenly distributed, generating a new set of problems associated with rising inequality and social polarization. Regardless of how the globalization debate is resolved, it is clear that as broad global forces transform the world in which the next generation will live and work, the choices that today's young people make or others make on their behalf will facilitate or constrain their success as adults. Traditional expectations regarding future employment prospects and life experiences are no longer valid. Growing Up Global examines how the transition to adulthood is changing in developing countries, and what the implications of these changes might be for those responsible for designing youth policies and programs, in particular, those affecting adolescent reproductive health. The report sets forth a framework that identifies criteria for successful transitions in the context of contemporary global changes for five key adult roles: adult worker, citizen and community participant, spouse, parent, and household manager.

The new updated edition of Children, Youth and Development explores the varied ways in which global processes in the form of development policies, economic and cultural globalisation, and international agreements interact with more locally specific practices to shape the lives of young people living in the poorer regions of the world. It examines these processes, and the effects they have on young people’s lives, in relation to developing theoretical approaches to the study of children and youth. This landmark title brings together the stock of knowledge and approaches to understanding young people’s lives in the context of development and globalization in the majority world for the first time. It introduces different theoretical approaches to the study of young people, and explores the ways in which these, along with predominantly Western conceptions of childhood and youth, have influenced how majority world children have been viewed and treated by international agencies. Contexts of globalisation and growing international inequality are explored, alongside more immediate contexts such as family and peer relationships. Chapters are devoted to groups of children deemed to be in need of protection and to debates concerning children’s rights and their participation in development projects. Young people’s health and education are considered, as is their involvement in work of various kinds, and the impacts of environmental change and hazards (including climate change). The book introduces material and concepts to readers in a very accessible way and within each chapter employs features such as boxed case studies, summaries of key ideas, discussion questions and guides to further resources. This edition has been updated to take account of significant changes in the contexts in which poor children grow up, notably the financial crisis and changing development policy environment, as well as recent theoretical developments. It is aimed at students on higher level undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as researchers who are unfamiliar with this area of research and practitioners in organisations working to ameliorate the lives of children in majority world countries.

This book examines the factors affecting the health and wellbeing of young people as they transition to adulthood under the shadow of migration control. Drawing on unique longitudinal data, it illuminates how they conceptualize wellbeing for themselves and others in contexts of prolonged and politically induced uncertainty. The authors offer an in-depth analysis of the experiences of over one hundred unaccompanied young migrants, primarily from Afghanistan, Albania and Eritrea. They show the lengths these young people will go to in pursuit of safety, security and the futures they aspire to. Interdisciplinary in nature, the book champions a new political economy analysis of wellbeing in the context of migration and demonstrates the urgent need for policy reform.

Youth and the future What will become of today’s young people in Australia, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America? Will they be supportive of the world they live in? Or are they doomed to be criminal drop-outs? The authors investigate to which extent different and contradictory trends of social modernisation and economic progress determine the biographical development and social integration of young people in different countries and world regions. Thus, the authors look at the role young people themselves can play in the future; either as construc tive social actors or as a problematic – and partly excluded – group unable to face the challenges of a permanently changing world.

Serving as a companion to Growing Up Global, this book from the National Research Council explores how the transition to adulthood is changing in developing countries in light of globalization and what the implications of these changes might be for those responsible for designing youth policies and programs. Presenting a detailed series of studies, this volume both complements its precursor and makes for a useful contribution in its own right. It should be of significant interest to scholars, leaders of civil society, and those charged with designing youth policies and programs.