Invest in youth, suggests World Development Report

SINGAPORE —Developing countries which invest in better education, healthcare, and job training for their record numbers of young people between the ages of 12 and 24 years of age, could produce surging economic growth and sharply reduce poverty, according to a new World Bank report launched at the Bank’s Annual Meetings in Singapore last week.

With 1.3 billion young people now living in the developing world—the largest-ever youth group in history—the report says there has never been a better time to invest in youth because they are healthier and better educated than previous generations, and they will join the workforce with fewer dependents because of changing demographics. However, failure to seize this opportunity to train them more effectively for the workplace, and to be active citizens, could lead to widespread disillusionment and social tensions.

The report says that young people make up nearly half of the ranks of the world’s unemployed, and, for example, that the Middle East and North Africa region alone must create 100 million jobs by 2020 in order to stabilize its employment situation. Moreover, surveys of young people in East Asia and Eastern Europe and Central Asia—carried out as research for the report—indicate that access to jobs, along with physical security, is their biggest concern.

Far too many young people—some 130 million 15-24 year olds—cannot read or write. Secondary education and skill acquisition make sense only if primary schooling has been successful.

The World Development Report identifies three strategic policies that may enhance investment in young people: (1) Expanding opportunities, (2) improving capabilities, and (3) offering second chances for young people who have fallen behind due to difficult circumstances or poor choices. These address five fundamental transitions facing young people and affecting their whole economic, social and family life, namely getting an education, finding work, staying healthy, forming families, and exercising citizenship.

*Opportunities—With broadened opportunities for better education and healthcare, young people can acquire the life skills to navigate adolescence and young adulthood safely, while improved vocational training will help them compete in the workforce.

Youth political participation and involvement in social organizations is also essential for fostering young people’s civic life in their own communities and also vital for good governance.

Without opportunities for productive civic engagement, young people’s frustrations may boil over into economic and social tensions, creating long-simmering disputes. For example, the ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka between Sinhalese and Tamils was initially caused by the frustration of Tamil students shut out of university places and denied other avenues for civic involvement.

*Capabilities— Providing information to young people and developing their decision-making skills, especially to stay healthy and appreciate continued learning, is important. Armed with the right information and incentives, these young people can make good decisions. .

Analysis of India’s Better Life Options program, which provides information on reproductive and health services and vocational training to young females aged 12-20 in urban slums and rural areas, shows that youth in the program were significantly more involved in key life decisions than those who were not.

*Second chances—Countries need targeted programs for young people who have fallen behind due to difficult circumstances or poor choices. These can be dropping out of school, drug addiction, criminal behavior, or prolonged unemployment. Second chances help young people rebuild their future, which has a long-term beneficial effect on society as a whole. Rehabilitation is costly, but the payoffs are highest for young people who still have a lifetime of potential productivity ahead of them.