Early childhood development in the Global South: introduction

Abstract: This supplementary issue relates to a sequence of activities the British Academy has supported since 2015 in relation to the bringing together of a range of disciplinary perspectives on early childhood development. The five articles developed out of a research programme, supported uniquely by both the Department for International Development and the Global Challenges Research Fund, illustrate this need for cross-disciplinary collaboration as well as engagement with policy, practice and local societies and norms. The early years often fall between different priorities and agendas and this supplementary issue brings forward some of the exciting research that is taking place to bridge these divisions and gaps whilst demonstrating the value and opportunities that integrated analysis and policy can achieve in the short term and in the long run for children, immediately and through to adult life.

Keywords: Early years, education, health, early childhood.

Article posted to Journal of the British Academy, volume 8, supplementary issue 2 (Early Childhood Development in the Global South).