Directory of research centres in the USA. Research projects on Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Asia. Study of economic development, questions of politics. Social policy and cultural change, agriculture, education and population problems.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Children are the foundation of the United States, and supporting them is a key component of building a successful future. However, millions of children face health inequities that compromise their development, well-being, and long-term outcomes, despite substantial scientific evidence about how those adversities contribute to poor health. Advancements in neurobiological and socio-behavioral science show that critical biological systems develop in the prenatal through early childhood periods, and neurobiological development is extremely responsive to environmental influences during these stages. Consequently, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors significantly affect a child's health ecosystem and ability to thrive throughout adulthood. Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity builds upon and updates research from Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity (2017) and From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000). This report provides a brief overview of stressors that affect childhood development and health, a framework for applying current brain and development science to the real world, a roadmap for implementing tailored interventions, and recommendations about improving systems to better align with our understanding of the significant impact of health equity.

Much of the improvement in material living standards in the Third World is attributable to the exploitation of nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels and metallic ores, and to the exploitation of renewable resource systems at rates that cannot be sustained. This state of affairs presents a serious problem for the future; just as may be the case for the developed regions, a long-term perspective shows clearly that Third World countries must return to a greater dependence on renewable resources while also avoiding irreversible degradation of renewable systems and learning to manage these systems more productively. The authors of this book examine major issues in the four main renewable resource sectors—fisheries, forestry, agriculture, and water—with emphasis on the problems and benefits attendant to various use patterns and management practices.

The globalization process and the internal policy reforms that the developing countries have implemented during the past decade have changed the relative prices of practically all their inputs and outputs. Agricultural producers have therefore been forced to change the structure and methods of their production. The objective of this book is to review the impact of globalization on a number of issues. These include the effects of changes in global trading rules and regulations, the removal of trade barriers and the elimination of many country-specific trade agreements.

Health research in developing countries has many facets. On one side, malaria and AIDS as main causes of morbidity and mortality are a focus for clinical and epidemiological studies. On the other side, the need for improving the health care system in general cannot be overestimated. The book offers a survey of current and important topics of health research in developing countries. Special emphasis is placed to show that cooperation of different health research areas if of highest importance in future. In addition the CRSN (Burkina Faso) - University of Heidelberg collaboration is given as a model that allows high class research in remote areas of any developing country. An absolutely must for all who are working in clinical, epidemiological and health systems research for and in developing countries.