A guide to calculating the costs of children

For some years, the Institute published in its magazine Family Matters two sets of figures, regularly updated, which were based on two different approaches to calculating the costs of children. In 1999 the Institute decided to stop updating and publishing costs of children figures, and at the same time invited researchers based at three eminent institutions to write fresh articles for Family Matters, explaining how they thought the costs of children should be calculated, and setting out the estimates which followed from the approach they had adopted.

The Institute has now brought together in one publication - 'A Guide To Calculating The Costs Of Children' (February 2000, ISBN 0642394717) - these three 1999 Family Matters articles, as well as an earlier paper explaining the two original approaches, so that readers can make their own evaluations of the different approaches and can, if they wish, update the estimates contained in each.