ABSTRACT
Child capitalism functions no differently than does the rest of capitalist society. Class location, inequality, affluence and poverty will shape the nature of the social capital available to a given household. The sociopsychic and bio-social elements in human capital will be enriched or deprived depending on household, school and community resources directed towards the child's physical, cognitive and social development. The essence of the shift toward the institution of cultural capitalism is the change in the capital/labour relationship from a Fordist to post Fordist regime. Coleman argues that the deterioration of intergenerational relations is to be expected inasmuch as corporate institutions are not family-friendly and so undermine even more the provision of child investments. The human capital approach to children has no answer to the excesses of over- and under-investment that divides childhood. Child futures are heavily dependent upon the political culture of capitalism.
