Argentine Youth : An Untapped Potential

Argentina's youth, 6.7 million between the ages of 15 and 24, are an important, but to a certain extent untapped, resource for development. Over 2 million (31 percent) have already engaged in risky behaviors, and another 1 million (15 percent) are exposed to risk factors that are correlated with eventual risky behaviors. This totals 46 percent of youth at some form of risk. Today's youth cohort is the country's largest ever and it's largest for the foreseeable future. If policymakers do not invest in youth now, especially in youth at risk, they will miss a unique opportunity to equip the next generation with the abilities to become the drivers of growth, breaking the intergenerational spiral of poverty and inequality and moving Argentina back into the group of high-income countries. If youth are educated and skilled, they can be a tremendous asset for development. If not, they can burden society and public finances. Overall, Argentina is blessed with high enrollment rates in school, low levels of crime and violence, and moderate to low drug use by youth. However, youth employment, smoking and binge drinking (including its effect on traffic accidents), teen pregnancies, and HIV pose challenges for youth policy. While most youth in Argentina are educated, skilled, and healthy, a large group is potentially at risk of engaging in myopic behaviors, including school absenteeism and leaving, substance use and abuse, delinquency, crime, and risky sexual behavior. The consequences of these risky behaviors, unemployment, adolescent pregnancy, sexually-transmitted diseases, addiction, incarceration, violence, and social exclusion, make it difficult for youth to successfully transition to adulthood, imposing large costs on individuals and society. Applying the framework of the world development report 2007, this report examines the five life-changing transitions that all youth confront: leaving school and continuing to learn, starting to work, developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, forming a family, and exercising citizenship.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Publication biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank 2009-03-01
Subjects:	ABORTION, ACCESS TO EDUCATION, ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE, ADOLESCENCE, ADOLESCENT, ADOLESCENT FERTILITY, ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY, ADULTHOOD, AGE DISTRIBUTION, ALCOHOL, ALCOHOL USE, ALCOHOLISM, BASIC HUMAN RIGHT, BIRTH CONTROL, BIRTH RATES, BIRTHS, BOTH SEXES, CAREGIVERS, CHILD CARE, CHILD COHORT, CHILD DEVELOPMENT, CHILD MALTREATMENT, CHILD MORTALITY, CHILDBEARING, CITIZENSHIP, CIVIC PARTICIPATION, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, CONDOM, CONSISTENT CONDOM USE, CONTRACEPTION, CONTRACEPTIVE USE, CYCLE OF POVERTY, DECLINES IN FERTILITY, DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES, DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, DEPRESSION, DISABILITY, DISEASES, DISSEMINATION, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DROPOUT, DRUG ABUSE, DRUG ADDICTION, DRUG USE, DRUGS, EARLY CHILDHOOD, EARLY PREGNANCY, EARLY SEXUAL ACTIVITY, EARLY SEXUAL INITIATION, ECONOMIC CHANGES, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, ELDERLY, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, FAMILIES, FAMILY FORMATION, FAMILY PLANNING, FAMILY STRUCTURE, FEMALE LABOR FORCE, FERTILITY DECLINE, FERTILITY RATE, FORMAL EDUCATION, GOOD GOVERNANCE, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, HEALTH INTERVENTIONS, HEALTH RISKS, HEALTH SERVICES, HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, HIGH-RISK, HIV, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD POVERTY, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS, HUMAN RIGHTS, ILLEGAL DRUGS, ILLITERACY, IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME, INFECTIONS, INFORMATION SERVICES, INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION, INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION, JOB CREATION, JOB SECURITY, JOB TRAINING, JUVENILE JUSTICE, LABOR FORCE, LABOR MARKET, LABOR SUPPLY, LEGAL STATUS, LEVEL OF EDUCATION, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, LIFE EXPECTANCY, LIFE SKILLS, LIFELONG LEARNING, LITERACY RATE, LIVE BIRTHS, LOCAL DEVELOPMENT, LONGER LIFE, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, MATERNAL HEALTH, MIGRATION, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, MINORITY, MORTALITY, MORTALITY RATE, MOTHER, NATIONAL POLICY, NEW INFECTIONS, NUTRITION, OLD GIRL, OLDER WOMEN, PERCEPTIONS OF RISK, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, POPULATION FUND, POPULATION SIZE, POVERTY REDUCTION, PREGNANCIES, PREGNANCY OUTCOMES, PREGNANCY RATES, PREMATURE DEATH, PREVENTION EFFORTS, PREVENTION STRATEGIES, PRIMARY EDUCATION, PRIMARY SCHOOL, PROGRESS, PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH BURDEN, PUBLIC POLICY, REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, RESPECT, RISK BEHAVIORS, RISK FACTORS, RISKY BEHAVIOR, RISKY SEX, RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIORS, ROAD SAFETY, ROAD TRAFFIC, RURAL AREAS, SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, SCHOOL STUDENTS, SCHOOLS, SECONDARY EDUCATION, SECONDARY SCHOOL, SELF-ESTEEM, SEX EDUCATION, SEXUAL ABUSE, SEXUAL ACTIVITIES, SEXUAL BEHAVIORS, SEXUAL INITIATION, SMOKING, SOCIAL AFFAIRS, SOCIAL CHANGE, SOCIAL DIFFERENCES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SOCIAL SERVICES, SPILLOVER, STATE POLICIES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, SUBSTANCE USE, TEEN, TEEN PREGNANCIES, TEENAGE MOTHERHOOD, TEENAGERS, TOBACCO, TOBACCO USE, TOBACCO USE IN ADOLESCENTS, TOLERANCE, TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, UNFPA, UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES, UNPROTECTED INTERCOURSE, UNPROTECTED SEX, UNSAFE ABORTION, URBAN AREAS, URBAN POPULATION, USE OF CONTRACEPTIVES, USE OF DRUGS, VICTIMS, VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE, WAGES, WORK EXPERIENCE, WORKFORCE, WORKING-AGE POPULATION, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, YOUNG AGES, YOUNG GIRL, YOUNG MALES, YOUNG MEN, YOUNG PEOPLE, YOUNG PERSON, YOUNG WOMAN, YOUNG WOMEN, YOUNG WORKERS, YOUTH, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH EMPLOYMENT, YOUTH HEALTH, YOUTH LITERACY, YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS, YOUTH PARTICIPATION, YOUTH POLICIES, YOUTH POLICY, YOUTH POPULATION, YOUTH SOCIAL CONDITIONS, YOUTH TRAINING, YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT, YOUTH VIOLENCE,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333037_20090511001608 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2622
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