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Social Constructions of Children and Youth: Beyond Dependents and Deviants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2020

MARY ELIZABETH COLLINS Open the ORCID record for MARY ELIZABETH COLLINS [Opens in a new window]  and
MICHELLE MEAD
MARY ELIZABETH COLLINS
Affiliation:
Professor and Department Chair, Social Welfare Policy, Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA02215 email: mcollins@bu.edu
MICHELLE MEAD
Affiliation:
Lecturer, Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA02215 email: mamead@bu.edu
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Abstract

Schneider and Ingram’s (1993) theory of social construction of target populations has received extensive scholarly attention. It has rarely been applied to populations of children and youth, however. In this article we: (1) describe the original framework; (2) apply each of Schneider and Ingram’s four categories to examples relevant to children and youth; (3) identify adjustments to the model to guide further understanding of young people’s policy treatment; and, (4) discuss how these observations might inform policies targeted toward children and youth. By providing a more focused analysis of this theory’s application to the social construction of children and youth, we aim to contribute to the scholarly understanding of policymaking and inform potential policy design strategies that may result in positive outcomes for children and youth.

Keywords

Social constructionTarget populationsChildren and youth
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 50 , Issue 3 , July 2021 , pp. 493 - 510
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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