The Architecture of Survival

Abstract

A shift of focus from outcomes (child survival) to resources (determinants of child survival) makes the pursuit of justice problematic, given that several aspects of parental (especially maternal) well-being are closely inter-linked with child survival, linking the pursuit of justice for children with a broader pursuit of justice. This chapter begins with a critical analysis of the literature on the structural, intermediate and immediate determinants of child survival as well as their interlinkages and contextual variations. Against this backdrop, available data on access or utilization of determinants at the international, inter-state and inter-group level in India is discussed. This chapter demonstrates that, despite efforts to evolve an international consensus in favor of a simple biomedical intervention (vaccination), the sphere of determinants is empirically, normatively as well as politically problematic.