State-family Alliances and Children's Welfare:A Research Agenda
Abstract
A popular topic of dialogue in many nations today concerns the proper balance between family and state in terms of their responsibility for the cultivation of potential in children. This article begins with a discussion of the American prototype of the family-state alliance vis-a-vis the child, contrasting the American model to alternative European models. This discussion leads the author to speculate about the consequences of various patterns of family-state collaboration on the well-being of children. The article concludes with an agenda of comparative research that explores the relationship between state and kinship systems and the direct or indirect impact on children.