Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Asset Building As Social Investment, Michael Sherraden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Inclusive asset building as a social policy innovation is a relative “newcomer” in policy discussions and research. The context is that since the middle of the 20th century, many countries implemented asset-building policy that is not inclusive, serves mostly the well-off, and is highly

regressive. In the United States, for example, the largest policy mechanisms are in tax benefits for home owning and saving for retirement. Altogether in the United States, such policies transfer about $500 billion dollars per year to the non-poor, most of this to the top 10%. This of course exacerbates inequalities in wealth and social development. …

Asset Building And Property Owning Democracy: Singapore Housing Policy As A Model Of Social Investment And Social Justice, James Lee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper discusses a fundamental issue that continues to haunt Western welfare states: despite rising levels of social expenditures and a rigorous social investment-oriented social policy, poverty and acute social inequalities persist. Using the concept of Property Owning Democracy (POD) advanced by John Rawls, this paper argues that an asset-based housing policy might be able to improve social justice and reduce poverty. Using Singapore’s housing system as an example, this paper illustrates the connection between asset building and POD, and suggests that Singapore’s housing system, to some extent, fulfills the requirements of Rawls’ theory of justice in terms of maintaining …

Social Development, Asset Building, And Social Investment: The Historical And International Context, James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article provides an historical background to the special issue by tracing the evolution of social development, asset building and social investment in different parts of the world. These approaches transcend remedial and service-oriented interventions and seek to promote progressive social change. They also stress the importance of investing in people and communities, and focusing on their strengths rather than deficits. The historical evolution of these three approaches in different countries and world regions is described, and their key features are highlighted. The article compares these approaches and considers some of their implications for social welfare, pointing out that they …

Human Rights-Based Social Investments, David Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Human rights provide a normative framework for social policy. Social investments are required for a state to realize the rights of its people. For example, the human right to health requires a well-funded system of health care infrastructure with a well-trained workforce of health care professionals. However, the implications of human rights for social development policies have not been examined. This paper attempts to fill in this gray area by exploring a rights-based approach to social investment. Human rights-based approaches to poverty, health, mental health, child welfare, and older adults are analyzed for their implications for social investment policy proposals. …