IMF-欧洲儿童贫困加剧：减轻新冠肺炎疫情的创伤（英）-2023.6-60页_1mb

报告摘要

Child poverty in Europe surged significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 202� alone, the number of children affected by severe material deprivation rose by 19% (nearly 1 million) in the EU.
This increase is linked to economic shocks, policy responses, and pre-existing inequalities, with countries like Germany, Romania, and Spain experiencing sharp jumps.
Unaddressed, rising child poverty can have severe long-term impacts, such as reduced educational attainment, health issues, and lower lifetime earnings, leading to economic scarring through decreased productivity and increased remediation costs.

Poverty during childhood affects cognitive development, educational outcomes, and health, limiting life prospects and perpetuating inequality.
The pandemic's school closures exacerbated educational losses, particularly for poor children, further amplifying scarring effects.
Macroeconomic consequences include reduced human capital accumulation, lower productivity, and hindered social mobility.

Labor and Fiscal Policies: Deploy policies to increase parental employment and income immediately, such as reforms for better work-life balance and wage support. Complement with social protection spending on family and children to reduce poverty quickly and maintain or increase benefits.
Public Investment: Invest in early childhood education, healthcare, nutrition, housing, and childcare infrastructure to mitigate long-term effects, as these measures complement income support and enhance human capital.
Avoid Fiscal Consolidation: Refrain from cutting family and children benefits post-pandemic, as this could delay poverty reduction and increase scarring. Focus on efficient and equitable spending reforms.

This paper emphasizes the urgency to act swiftly to limit the enduring damage from the pandemic's economic fallout on children's futures.

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