8 \ Global Youth Development Index and Report 2016 Box 1.1 Definitions of youth by age group The limitations of defining youth chronologically are acknowledged, but legal requirements and policy making necessitate defining youth within an age bracket. National governments and international organisations use different age ranges to categorise young people (Table 1.1). The Commonwealth’s definition includes people between the ages of 15 and 30. While recognising the many definitions that exist, this report by and large focuses on the 15–29 age bracket. Table 1.1  The age definition for ‘youth’ of various international organisations Organisation Age group considered to be youth The Commonwealth 15–29 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 15–24 International Labour Office (ILO) 15–24 UN Habitat (Youth Fund) 15–32 UN Population Fund 10–24 World Health Organization (WHO) 10–29 World Bank 15–34 African Union 15–35 European Union (EU) 15–29 male counterparts and have fewer opportunities to develop and sustain independent careers owing to caring responsibilities. Even young people living in ‘optimal’ youth development environments face obstacles, and conversely, at the other end of the spectrum, there are many young people who are managing to carve a life path for themselves with access to very few resources or opportunities. Youth is also the phase in life during which individuals can be exposed to social exclusion for the first time, either getting or feeling ‘left behind’ or being forced to occupy transitional spaces.24 1.3  What is youth development? Youth development can be understood in a variety of ways. It was initially perceived and understood from within the psychological perspective, which tends to explore the ways young people grow emotionally and construct identities.25 A broader perspective on development, often linked to sociological insights, focuses on young people’s experiences and the ways in which these experiences provide opportunities for life management and distinct, culturally-shaped, perspectives on the world and their place within it.26 Crucially, this ‘asset-based approach’ to youth development recognises the ability and agency of young people themselves to influence development outcomes. Youth development can also be impacted by the transmission of inequalities between generations, as some find pathways blocked because of the socio-economic status of their families, while inherited privilege opens the door to opportunities for others. One of the primary objectives of this report is to provide an evidence-based overview of the condition of youth across the world, focusing on opportunities for their development. A core instrument used to achieve this aim is the Commonwealth’s global Youth Development Index (YDI), which is described later in this chapter. The theoretical framework for the development of the YDI is derived from the work of Sen and Nussbaum on capabilities, which has been used to underpin a range of international reports, such as the human development report of the UNDP.27 As an alternative to approaches that use statistics on economic growth as a proxy for the quality of life in a country, this approach focuses on