This seminar will share two recent research projects related to child well-being from an international perspective and the Chinese context:

The first presentation on 'social justice, inequality and child well-being through a Rawlsian Lens' examines measures of bottom-end inequality, the scale and intergenerational transmission of disadvantage to apply a Rawlsian perspective on child well-being outcomes in OECD/EU countries. It goes beyond ranking countries from ‘best’ to ‘worst’, instead classifying them on the extent to which they meet Rawls’s principles for a fair society. Inequalities in child well-being are found in all countries, but this presentation asks when and where these inequalities become inequities.

The second presentation on 'child poverty and material deprivation in Hong Kong' aims to discuss the methodological approach to develop measurement instruments of children's views of their lives and well-being which are socially and culturally relevant to the Chinese context. The two speakers will discuss overlaps and challenges in their respective research projects and consider ‘lessons for future well-being research in Europe and Asia’ in an open forum following the two presentations.