Posted 30 April 2012
Barrington Medal for UCD economist who studies benefits of early childhood intervention
The Council of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland under the auspices of the Barrington Trust (founded in 1836 at the bequest of John Barrington) has awarded UCD economist Dr Orla Doyle the 2011/2012 Barrington Medal in recognition of her promising new research in the economic and social sciences.
Each year, the award winner delivers the Barrington Lecture which focuses on a topic with current relevance to economic or social policy in Ireland.
In this year’s lecture, Dr Doyle, UCD School of Economics, and the UCD Geary Institute, outlined how deprivation early in life leads to multiple long term consequences for both the individual and society.
She highlighted the increasing body of evidence which shows that targeted, early interventions aimed at at-risk children and their families can reduce socioeconomic inequalities in children’s skills and capabilities.
In her lecture, she described the ongoing evaluation of a five-year community-led early childhood intervention programme aimed at improving the school readiness skills of socioeconomically disadvantaged children in Ireland: The Preparing for Life (PFL) programme.
This is one of the first studies in Ireland to use random assignment to experimentally modify the environment of high risk families and track its impact over time.(Produced by UCD University Relations)
