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What It Means To Be A Social Worker: Her World Woman Of The Year Acceptance Speech, Sudha Nair Feb 2017

What It Means To Be A Social Worker: Her World Woman Of The Year Acceptance Speech, Sudha Nair

Center for Social Development Research

This Perspective presents remarks delivered by Sudha Nair on August 24, 2016, in an address accepting the Her World Woman of the Year award. Dr. Nair is the executive director of PAVE (the first family violence specialist center in Singapore) and a member of the Public Service Commission of Singapore.


Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Ensure Healthy Development For All Youth, J.David Hawkins, Jeffery M. Jenson, Jordan Devylder, Richard F. Catalano, Gilbert J. Botvin, Mark Fraser, Kimberly A. Bender, Valerie A. Shapiro, Brian Bumbarger Jan 2017

Policy Recommendations For Meeting The Grand Challenge To Ensure Healthy Development For All Youth, J.David Hawkins, Jeffery M. Jenson, Jordan Devylder, Richard F. Catalano, Gilbert J. Botvin, Mark Fraser, Kimberly A. Bender, Valerie A. Shapiro, Brian Bumbarger

Center for Social Development Research

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs.


Nudging Youth To Develop Savings Habits: Experimental Evidence Using Sms Messages, Katherine Rodríguez, Juan E. Saavedra May 2016

Nudging Youth To Develop Savings Habits: Experimental Evidence Using Sms Messages, Katherine Rodríguez, Juan E. Saavedra

Center for Social Development Research

In this working paper, we report on a field experiment articulating financial information via cellphone text messages and financial decisions among low-income youth in Colombia. For twelve months, youth accountholders are randomly assigned to receive either: (a) monthly financial education messages, (b) monthly savings reminders, (c) semimonthly reminders, or (d) control. After 12 months, account balances in monthly and semimonthly reminders groups increase by 28% and 43%, respectively, relative to controls. Financial education messages do not increase balances. Over two thirds of balance increases in reminder groups are net savings. Savings effects of reminders last eight months after youth stop …


Social And Emotional Learning And Social Work In Middle School: A Case Study In Community Partnership, Anne S. Robertson, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Saras Chung, Allison Williams, Victoria May Jul 2015

Social And Emotional Learning And Social Work In Middle School: A Case Study In Community Partnership, Anne S. Robertson, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Saras Chung, Allison Williams, Victoria May

Center for Social Development Research

Social and emotional learning is increasingly being recognized for its role in urban school reform despite current school improvement efforts focused on academic outcomes. This paper presents a case study in community partnership between a middle school, a community-based organization, and a research university, to implement a social and emotional program in seventh grade social studies. Highlighted is the importance of trust and communication among all partners—including administrators, researchers, front-line staff, teachers, and students. It also suggests a framework to expand school partnerships to include schools of social work, especially when the focus is on social and emotional learning.


Beyond Ferguson: Empowering Low-Income People To Build The Future Of Their Communities, Dorothy Stoneman Mar 2015

Beyond Ferguson: Empowering Low-Income People To Build The Future Of Their Communities, Dorothy Stoneman

Center for Social Development Research

Beyond Ferguson: Empowering Low-Income People to Build the Future of Their Communities


The Boundaries Of Youth: Labor, Maturity, And Coming Of Age In Early Nineteenth-Century New England, 1790-1850, Jane Fiegen Green Dec 2014

The Boundaries Of Youth: Labor, Maturity, And Coming Of Age In Early Nineteenth-Century New England, 1790-1850, Jane Fiegen Green

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project uses the experiences of young men and women to show how the language of maturity laid a foundation for the mythology of democratic capitalism in nineteenth-century America. Freed from the bounds of the household but left to the mercy of the emerging capitalist economy, young New Englanders struggled to reconcile the democratic ideals of work with the realities of class stratification. Expected to show their self-ownership through the performance of gender-defined employment, young men and women used their work experiences to display their maturity. Recognition as competent, mature adults required young people to find and demonstrate independence through …


Baseline Survey Of The Third Cohort: A Supplemental Report From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Rainier Masa, Shiyou Wu, Yalitza Ramos, Meli Blake Kimathi Oct 2014

Baseline Survey Of The Third Cohort: A Supplemental Report From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Rainier Masa, Shiyou Wu, Yalitza Ramos, Meli Blake Kimathi

Center for Social Development Research

Baseline Survey of the Third Cohort: A Supplemental Report From the YouthSave Ghana Experiment


The Early Good News About Child Development Accounts, Sondra G. Beverly, Margaret Clancy, Michael Sherraden Sep 2014

The Early Good News About Child Development Accounts, Sondra G. Beverly, Margaret Clancy, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This brief summary of early research findings from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment may help Child Development Account (CDA) proponents communicate the value of such accounts to policymakers, educators and others.


Motivating Students Through Classroom-Based Service Learning: Toward Adoption And Impact, Anne S. Robertson, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Saras Chung, Allison Williams Jun 2014

Motivating Students Through Classroom-Based Service Learning: Toward Adoption And Impact, Anne S. Robertson, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Saras Chung, Allison Williams

Center for Social Development Research

Motivating Students Through Classroom-Based Service Learning: Toward Adoption and Impact


The Relationship Between Household Economic Resources And Youth Academic Performance In Ghana: A Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling, David Ansong Dec 2013

The Relationship Between Household Economic Resources And Youth Academic Performance In Ghana: A Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling, David Ansong

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The Government of Ghana recognizes the importance of education for improving the socioeconomic well-being of young Ghanaians and the development of the nation. Education currently accounts for the largest share: 31%) of Ghana's national budget: GNA, 2012). Educational reforms and investments have had remarkable success in improving access to education up to the Junior High School: JHS) level, but progression beyond JHS remains a challenge. More than half of JHS graduates do not gain admission into Senior High School: SHS) because of poor academic performance and the inability of those who qualify to afford the drastic increase in educational costs. …


Visual Demonstration Of Academic Performance And Parental Involvement In Ghana, David Ansong, Gena A. N. Chowa Sep 2013

Visual Demonstration Of Academic Performance And Parental Involvement In Ghana, David Ansong, Gena A. N. Chowa

Center for Social Development Research

Visual Demonstration of Academic Performance and Parental Involvement in Ghana


Parental Involvement's Effects On Academic Performance: Evidence From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier D. Masa, Jenna Tucker Sep 2013

Parental Involvement's Effects On Academic Performance: Evidence From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier D. Masa, Jenna Tucker

Center for Social Development Research

Research in developed countries suggests that parental involvement is associated with youth academic success, but little is known about this relationship in developing countries. Further, it is unclear which type of parental involvement may impact the academic performance of youth from developing countries. This study examines whether (a) parental involvement at home and in school are meaningfully different constructs in a population of Ghanaian youth and their parents and (b) parental involvement predicts academic performance. Results suggest that parental involvement is a bidimensional construct consists of home and school involvement. The effect of parental involvement on youth academic performance appears …


How Do Student And School Characteristics Influence Youth Academic Performance In Ghana? A Hierarchical Linear Modeling Of Baseline Data From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier D. Masa, Yalitza Ramos, David Ansong Sep 2013

How Do Student And School Characteristics Influence Youth Academic Performance In Ghana? A Hierarchical Linear Modeling Of Baseline Data From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier D. Masa, Yalitza Ramos, David Ansong

Center for Social Development Research

Student and school characteristics are associated with academic performance of high school students. However, few attempts have been made to examine the simultaneous influence of student and school factors on academic performance of youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we examine student- and school- level predictors of academic performance of Ghanaian junior high school students. As other researchers have found, we note that age and gender are significant predictors of academic performance. Student traits, including academic self-efficacy and commitment to school, are positively associated with math and English scores. Class size and presence of a toilet facility are …


Youth Debt And College Graduation: Differences By Race/Ethnicity, Min Zhan Feb 2013

Youth Debt And College Graduation: Differences By Race/Ethnicity, Min Zhan

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines the relationship between youth debt (from education loans and credit cards) and college graduation, considering the ways in which the relationship differs by race/ethnicity. Results show little evidence that student loans and credit card debt reduce the gaps between White and minority students in the likelihood of college graduation. Findings also indicate that the likelihood of graduating from college is higher among White and Black students with education loans of $10,000 or more than among those without education loans. However, among minority students (Black and Hispanic students), those with education loans of $10,000 or more are less …


Small-Dollar Children's Savings Accounts, Income, And College Outcomes, William Elliott, Hyun-A Song, Ilsung Nam Feb 2013

Small-Dollar Children's Savings Accounts, Income, And College Outcomes, William Elliott, Hyun-A Song, Ilsung Nam

Center for Social Development Research

In this paper, we examine the relationship between children’s small-dollar savings accounts and college enrollment and graduation by asking three important research questions: (a) are children with savings of their own more likely to attend or graduate from college, (b) does dosage (having no account; having basic savings only; or having savings designated for school of less than $1, $1 to $499, or $500 or more) matter, and (c) is designating savings for school more predictive than having basic savings alone? We use propensity score weighted data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and its supplements to create …


Youth And Their Health In Ghana, Gina Chowa, Rainier Masa, Isaac Osei-Akoto Jan 2013

Youth And Their Health In Ghana, Gina Chowa, Rainier Masa, Isaac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Youth and Their Health in Ghana


Parental Involvement And Academic Performance In Ghana, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Issac Osei-Akoto Jan 2013

Parental Involvement And Academic Performance In Ghana, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Issac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Parental Involvement and Academic Performance in Ghana


Youth And Saving In Ghana: A Baseline Report From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Rainier Masa, Mat Despard, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Atta-Ankomah Richmond, Andrew Agyei-Holmes, Michael Sherraden Nov 2012

Youth And Saving In Ghana: A Baseline Report From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Rainier Masa, Mat Despard, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Atta-Ankomah Richmond, Andrew Agyei-Holmes, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Youth and Saving in Ghana: A Baseline Report From the YouthSave Ghana Experiment


My Path: An Innovative Initiative To Increase Financial Capability Among Economically Vulnerable Youth, Vernon Loke, Margaret Libby, Laura Choi Oct 2012

My Path: An Innovative Initiative To Increase Financial Capability Among Economically Vulnerable Youth, Vernon Loke, Margaret Libby, Laura Choi

Center for Social Development Research

My Path: An Innovative Initiative to Increase Financial Capability Among Economically Vulnerable Youth


Youth Saving Patterns And Performance In Ghana, Gina A. N. Chowa, Mathieu R. Despard, Issac Osei-Akoto Jul 2012

Youth Saving Patterns And Performance In Ghana, Gina A. N. Chowa, Mathieu R. Despard, Issac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Youth Saving Patterns and Performance in Ghana


Volunteerism For Peace In East Africa, Benjamin Lough, Jacob Mwathi Mati Jun 2012

Volunteerism For Peace In East Africa, Benjamin Lough, Jacob Mwathi Mati

Center for Social Development Research

Volunteering is central to any community-centered development intervention. As such, volunteers can contribute substantially to establishing and preserving peace. This paper describes various interpersonal, intergroup, and institutional theoretical perspectives to explain why volunteerism is particularly suited to peacemaking and peacekeeping. Special consideration is given to how involving young volunteers may be highly beneficial to peacemaking and peacekeeping. The paper emphasizes the “added value” of utilizing volunteers in peace and development organizations, and provides specific examples from the Eastern African region that illustrate how volunteerism is being used to prevent conflict, to mediate and transform active conflict, and to reduce the …


Civic Service And Asset Building In Generating Livelihoods Among Youth In Africa, Benjamin J. Lough, Margaret S. Sherraden Jun 2012

Civic Service And Asset Building In Generating Livelihoods Among Youth In Africa, Benjamin J. Lough, Margaret S. Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Given high rates of unemployment among African youth, civic service offers a promising strategy for preparing young people for the labor market. Despite its potential, a lack of service opportunities, incentives, and competing livelihood needs, frequently prevent young people from volunteering. This paper reviews the debate on financial remuneration for volunteering, and describes innovative “hybrid” ways to incentivize and support young volunteers. These approaches offer the potential to build financial assets during service in the form of savings, stipends, and microenterprise credit or education awards. This paper highlights programs in several regions of Africa where similar approaches have been piloted. …


Youth-Related Policies, Center For Social Development, Institute For Statistical, Social, And Economic Research, Kenya Institute For Public Policy Research And Analysis, New Era; Universidad De Los Andes Apr 2012

Youth-Related Policies, Center For Social Development, Institute For Statistical, Social, And Economic Research, Kenya Institute For Public Policy Research And Analysis, New Era; Universidad De Los Andes

Center for Social Development Research

Youth-Related Policies


Challenges And Opportunities For Youth Saving, Center For Social Development, Kenya Institute For Public Policy Research And Analysis, Institute For Statistical, Social, And Economic Research, New Era; Universidad De Los Andes Apr 2012

Challenges And Opportunities For Youth Saving, Center For Social Development, Kenya Institute For Public Policy Research And Analysis, Institute For Statistical, Social, And Economic Research, New Era; Universidad De Los Andes

Center for Social Development Research

Challenges and Opportunities for Youth Saving


Testing An Asset-Building Approach For Young People: Early Access To Savings Predicts Later Savings, Terri Friedline, William Elliott, Gina Chowa Mar 2012

Testing An Asset-Building Approach For Young People: Early Access To Savings Predicts Later Savings, Terri Friedline, William Elliott, Gina Chowa

Center for Social Development Research

A major hypothesis of asset-building is that early access to savings accounts leads to continued and improved educational and economic outcomes over time. This study asks whether or not young adults (ages 18 to 22), particularly lower-income young adults, are significantly more likely to own savings accounts and to accumulate more savings when they have access to savings accounts at banking institutions as adolescents (ages 13 to 17). We investigate this question using longitudinal data (low-to-moderate income sample [LMI; N = 530]; low-income sample [LI; N = 354]) from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and its supplements. Results from …


Saving In Childhood And Adolescence: Insights From Developmental Psychology, Annette Otto Mar 2012

Saving In Childhood And Adolescence: Insights From Developmental Psychology, Annette Otto

Center for Social Development Research

This paper addresses variables related to child and adolescent saving and explains the development of skills and behaviors that facilitate saving from an economic socialization perspective. References are made to the differences between the economic world of children, adolescents, and adults as well as to existing theories of saving. Children’s and adolescents’ ability and willingness to save are looked at, taking into account the social context of the family and general child and adolescent development. The paper concludes with directions for future research in this area.


Economic Socialization, Saving, And Assets In European Young Adults, Paul Webley, Ellen Nyhus Mar 2012

Economic Socialization, Saving, And Assets In European Young Adults, Paul Webley, Ellen Nyhus

Center for Social Development Research

Two studies were carried out, using data on the assets, economic socialization and dispositions of European teenagers and young adults. The sample of young adults (18-32) was drawn from a panel survey of the Dutch population. The Dutch sample size was 392, a significant proportion (over 25%) of whom were still living in the parental home. The sample of teenagers (mean age 14.4 years) and their parents was drawn from a three-generation study of economic socialization in Norway. The Norwegian sample size was 548 adolescents, 256 mothers, and 227 fathers. The Dutch study identified four distinct strands of economic socialization: …


The Impact Of Youth Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan Mar 2012

The Impact Of Youth Debt On College Graduation, Min Zhan

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines the associations between educational loans and credit card debt with the possibility of college graduation among a group of youth who enrolled in college. It further investigates whether the associations differ by levels of parental assets. Results indicate that, after parental assets and other variables are considered, educational loans are positively related to college graduation; however, there is evidence that educational loans above $10,000 reduce the probability of college graduation. Parental assets are positively linked to youth’s college graduation, and the relationship between educational loans and college graduation is stronger among youth whose families have lower levels …


'If We Govern Ourselves, Whose Son Is To Govern Us?': Youth, Independence And The 1960s In Lesotho, John Aerni-Flessner Jan 2011

'If We Govern Ourselves, Whose Son Is To Govern Us?': Youth, Independence And The 1960s In Lesotho, John Aerni-Flessner

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Young people in Lesotho worked actively to bring about their own conceptions of the nation in late colonial and early independence Lesotho. These youth drew on a wide range of local, national and international ideas to push for institutional change that would benefit themselves as individuals, and the nation as a whole. Tapping into larger global debates about development, the Cold War and the role of youth in societies, young Basotho actively participated in and wanted a say in the changes coming with independence. This work rethinks African nationalism, seeing a wider range of people willing and able to identify …


Lessons From Seed: A National Demonstration Of Child Development Accounts, Michael Sherraden, Julia Stevens, Deborah Adams, Ray Boshara, Margaret Clancy, Reid Cramer, Bob Friedman, Rochelle Howard, Karol Krotki, Ellen Marks, Lisa Mensah, Bryan Rhodes, Carl Rist, Edward Scanlon, Trina Williams Shanks, Michael Sherraden, Julia Stevens, Leigh Tivol, Robert Zager Sep 2010

Lessons From Seed: A National Demonstration Of Child Development Accounts, Michael Sherraden, Julia Stevens, Deborah Adams, Ray Boshara, Margaret Clancy, Reid Cramer, Bob Friedman, Rochelle Howard, Karol Krotki, Ellen Marks, Lisa Mensah, Bryan Rhodes, Carl Rist, Edward Scanlon, Trina Williams Shanks, Michael Sherraden, Julia Stevens, Leigh Tivol, Robert Zager

Center for Social Development Research

Lessons From SEED: A National Demonstration of Child Development Accounts