“Investing in Children”: a dominant discourse on childhood and children in 21st century
“Investing in Children”: a dominant discourse on childhood and children in 21st century

Summary/Abstract: Looking at the last 30 years, one can observes the radical change in the academic and political discourse concerning childhood and children. The concept of “investing in children” has become dominant in the academic discourse and political programme of at least the European Union. Investing in children is located at the core of the social investment strategy. In this article, the social investment paradigm is characterised, and two types of arguments for investing in disadvantaged children are presented. J. Heckman’s explanations concerning the stage of a child’s life cycle in which to invest, and how, are presented. Practical implementation of the Early Child Education and Care in the European countries is outlined.

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