Beginning in 1996, Chapin Hall provided advice and support to researchers seeking to establish child policy research centers in their countries. The International Network of Child Policy Research Centers emerged from the relationships that evolved among these centers and individuals, as well as through Chapin Hall’s International Fellows Program, which in past years brought scholars from outside the U. S. to Chapin Hall to learn about our applied research agenda and methodologies and to build international perspectives.

Coordinated by Chapin Hall, the International Network now includes centers from Africa, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. The shared goal of these centers is to generate knowledge through applied and empirical research to inform policies and practices affecting children and youth. Each center in the International Network engages in multidisciplinary research, and all are committed to using cross-national perspectives to inform children’s policy in their own countries and around the world.

Interaction among International Network centers is both formal and informal. Throughout the year, researchers participate in thematic working groups and provide feedback to each other on particular issues or products. Approximately every 18 months, Chapin Hall convenes a plenary meeting, which provides participating centers with the opportunity to work through institutional issues of common concern, present and receive feedback on research challenges and successes, and discuss topics that have potential for cross-national research. The most recent International Network meeting was held in Seoul, South Korea, in May 2008.

Participating Centers and Affiliates

The director of the International Network of Child Policy Research Centers is Chapin Hall research fellow Robert J. Chaskin.

For more information on the International Network, contact Sylvie Bendier-Decety at 773.256.5125 or internationalnetwork@chapinhall.org