Comprehensive and responsive child development in India: an exploration of the complex and diverse conditions for meeting children’s needs

This research investigates the factors influencing child development and vulnerability across India, focusing on how cultural, social, economic, environmental, political, and institutional conditions interact. Although global advancements have occurred, significant disparities continue across regions and populations. Standard evaluations often examine dimensions such as nutrition, sanitation, gender, education, healthcare, and service provision in isolation, obscuring how these elements intersect and reinforce one another. To address this limitation, the thesis explores how child development can be assessed to capture these interconnected dynamics while still permitting meaningful comparisons between different settings.