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Full-Text Articles in Social Work
Fcab Africa: Advancing Financial Stability, Security, And Well-Being, Center For Social Development
Fcab Africa: Advancing Financial Stability, Security, And Well-Being, Center For Social Development
Center for Social Development Research
In sub-Saharan Africa, mobile phones and financial technology have opened doors to financial inclusion for millions, but the new financial terrain is uneven ground fraught with risks. High fees, aggressive marketing, mounting personal debt, varied digital access, and nascent regulatory structures heighten vulnerability and threaten hard-won progress toward broad financial inclusion. Financial Capability and Asset Building in Africa, or FCAB Africa, will equip human-service professionals to broaden financial stability, security, and well-being in sub-Saharan Africa, developing the financial capability of service populations and cultivating sound financial strategies. The initiative will also work with financial-service providers to create a comprehensive financial-development …
Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social And Economic Development: Advancing The Sustainable Development Goals, David Ansong, Moses Okumu, Jin Huang`, Margaret S. Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Li Zou
Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social And Economic Development: Advancing The Sustainable Development Goals, David Ansong, Moses Okumu, Jin Huang`, Margaret S. Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Li Zou
Center for Social Development Research
The concern for economic well-being undergirds most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This Perspective articulates an agenda for advancing those goals in resource-constrained countries by leveraging financial capability and asset-building (FCAB) strategies. It also specifies a role for financial technology (commonly called “FinTech”) in this work. The authors conclude with a call for better integrating FCAB and FinTech into plans for advancing the SDGs.
Policy Recommendations For Helping U.S. Households Build Emergency Savings, Mathieu R. Despard, Terri Friedline, Julie Birkenmaier
Policy Recommendations For Helping U.S. Households Build Emergency Savings, Mathieu R. Despard, Terri Friedline, Julie Birkenmaier
Center for Social Development Research
In households without emergency savings, an unexpected expense or financial shock can heighten stress and threaten the ability to meet basic needs. This brief, released through the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative’s network toBuild Financial Capability for All, identifies three types of policies to enable U.S. households to save for emergencies.
Policy Recommendations For Expanding Access To Banking And Financial Services, Terri Friedline, Mathieu R. Despard, Julie Birkenmaier
Policy Recommendations For Expanding Access To Banking And Financial Services, Terri Friedline, Mathieu R. Despard, Julie Birkenmaier
Center for Social Development Research
Access to financial services is a necessity in the modern economy, yet many households lack such access. This brief, released through the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative’s network toBuild Financial Capability for All, identifies policies with the potential to expand access to financial services for households in the United States.
Faculty Perspectives On Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social Work Education: A Research Report, Margaret S. Sherraden, Jin Huang, Lissa Johnson, Peter Dore, Julie Birkenmaier, Vernon Loke, Sally Hageman
Faculty Perspectives On Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social Work Education: A Research Report, Margaret S. Sherraden, Jin Huang, Lissa Johnson, Peter Dore, Julie Birkenmaier, Vernon Loke, Sally Hageman
Center for Social Development Research
This report is based on a study conducted in collaboration with the Council on Social Work Education. The report presents findings from a national online survey of social work faculty. Results identify financial and economic (F&E) content taught in the current curriculum, gaps in coverage, and strategies for improving the academic preparation of social workers in these areas. Findings will inform financial capability and asset-building curriculum and improve the academic preparation of social workers.
Financial Literacy In China: Priorities And A Direction, Yiqing Yuan, Minchao Jin
Financial Literacy In China: Priorities And A Direction, Yiqing Yuan, Minchao Jin
Center for Social Development Research
Growing income disparity, a shrinking social welfare system, expanding financial markets, and diversifying financial products have pushed economically vulnerable groups in China into greater disadvantage in recent decades. The government has acknowledged the urgency of this situation, which underscores the micro- and macro-level importance of financial literacy and of its study. In general, there are two priorities in efforts to study financial literacy in China. One is theoretical, and the other is empirical. The theoretical priority, which comes from Western research, is to develop conceptual precision; the financial-literacy framework is not well defined, fails to differentiate among related concepts, and …
Employee Financial Wellness Programs: A Review Of The Literature And Directions For Future Research, Geraldine Hannon, Meredith Covington, Mat Despard, Ellen Frank-Miller, Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Employee Financial Wellness Programs: A Review Of The Literature And Directions For Future Research, Geraldine Hannon, Meredith Covington, Mat Despard, Ellen Frank-Miller, Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Center for Social Development Research
This is a literature review of studies that have examined the implementation of financial wellness programs in the workplace. The review suggests that employee financial wellness programs (EFWPs) have drawn on both existing and new methods to improve the financial security of employees. Although a number of studies have been conducted on employer-based financial education and retirement planning, evidence concerning the efficacy of EFWPs is limited. Moreover, the methodological shortcomings of studies in the workplace financial wellness field have limited evidence concerning returns on investment and impeded efforts to make best-practice recommendations. Thus, researchers should consider strengthening the evidence base …
Financial Inclusion In China: Use Of Credit, Zibei Chen, Minchao Jin
Financial Inclusion In China: Use Of Credit, Zibei Chen, Minchao Jin
Center for Social Development Research
Limited access to credit can cause financial vulnerability for a household and economic loss for a country. Previous studies have shown that only small portions of populations in developing countries use formal credit, but few studies have focused on Chinese populations. Analyzing data from the 2011 China Household Financial Survey, this study explored Chinese households’ credit use. Over half of the sample (53.21%) reported using credit, and only 19.77% of the sample used formal credit. Use of formal credit was associated with the socioeconomic characteristics of household heads (e.g., employment and education) and of households (e.g., income and net worth). …
Do Eitc Recipients Use Their Tax Refunds To Get Ahead? Evidence From The Refund To Savings Initiative, Mathieu R. Despard, Dana C. Parantie, Jane Oliphant, Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Do Eitc Recipients Use Their Tax Refunds To Get Ahead? Evidence From The Refund To Savings Initiative, Mathieu R. Despard, Dana C. Parantie, Jane Oliphant, Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Center for Social Development Research
Many U.S. households lack savings for unexpected expenses and financial shocks, but tax refunds and the Earned Income Tax Credit offer opportunities to set aside resources for use in emergencies. Understanding what EITC recipients do with their tax refunds is important for guiding federal policy to promote financial stability. This brief summarizes findings on the use of tax refunds by EITC recipients in the Refund to Savings (R2S) initiative. It also examines the use of financial services for saving refunds and the financial shocks experienced by EITC recipients during the 6 months after tax filing.
Refund To Savings 2013: Comprehensive Report On A Large-Scale Tax-Time Saving Program, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Dana C. Perantie, Blair D. Russell, Krista Comer, Samuel H. Taylor, Lingzi Luo, Clinton Key, Dan Ariely
Refund To Savings 2013: Comprehensive Report On A Large-Scale Tax-Time Saving Program, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Dana C. Perantie, Blair D. Russell, Krista Comer, Samuel H. Taylor, Lingzi Luo, Clinton Key, Dan Ariely
Center for Social Development Research
Refund to Savings 2013: Comprehensive Report on a Large-Scale Tax-Time Saving Program
Earned Income Tax Credit (Eitc) Utilization In Native Communities, Kristen Wagner, Amy Locklear Hertel
Earned Income Tax Credit (Eitc) Utilization In Native Communities, Kristen Wagner, Amy Locklear Hertel
Center for Social Development Research
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Utilization in Native Communities
Savings And Financial Services In Native Communities, Kristen Wagner, Kristen Wagner
Savings And Financial Services In Native Communities, Kristen Wagner, Kristen Wagner
Center for Social Development Research
Savings and Financial Services in Native Communities
Does Banking Experience Matter: Differences Of The Banked And Unbanked In Individual Development Accounts, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Yeong H. Yeo, Mathieu R. Despard, Min Zhan
Does Banking Experience Matter: Differences Of The Banked And Unbanked In Individual Development Accounts, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Yeong H. Yeo, Mathieu R. Despard, Min Zhan
Center for Social Development Research
Using data from the 4-year American Dream Demonstration, this study compared saving performance and program participation of banked participants (n = 1,538) with unbanked participants (n = 466) enrolled in 14 IDA programs across the United States. The study found that unbanked participants had $3.26 lower average monthly net deposit (p<.05) and 5% lower deposit frequency (p<.001) than banked participants. Unbanked participants had 45% greater odds of dropout than banked participants (p<.001). Further analyses looking at the intervening variables suggested that the combined effects of car ownership, education, race, and monthly savings targets significantly reduced the savings gap between the two groups.
Linking Tax Refunds And Low-Cost Bank Accounts: A Social Development Strategy For Low-Income Families?, Sondra G. Beverly, Jennifer L. Romich, Jennifer Tescher
Linking Tax Refunds And Low-Cost Bank Accounts: A Social Development Strategy For Low-Income Families?, Sondra G. Beverly, Jennifer L. Romich, Jennifer Tescher
Center for Social Development Research
This article describes a pilot program encouraging low-income workers to have their tax refunds directly deposited into low-cost bank accounts. The program did not lead to substantial saving and asset accumulation in the short-term. However, surveys and interviews suggest that the program helped some participants spend money more slowly and more thoughtfully, introduced some to account ownership or direct deposit, and encouraged some to obtain other mainstream financial products. Thus, the program may have helped low-income families “get on track” for future saving and asset accumulation.
A Framework Of Asset-Accumulation Stages And Strategies, Sondra Beverly, Amanda Moore, Mark Schreiner
A Framework Of Asset-Accumulation Stages And Strategies, Sondra Beverly, Amanda Moore, Mark Schreiner
Center for Social Development Research
We propose that asset accumulation occurs in three stages. In the first stage (reallocation), current resource inflows must exceed current outflows. To meet this objective, people reallocate resources from current consumption, current leisure, or future consumption or leisure. In the second stage (conversion), people may convert resources from liquid to illiquid forms. In the third stage (maintenance), individuals resist temptations to dissave. We suggest that people adopt psychological and behavioral strategies to achieve each of these objectives. Putting the two types of strategies together with the three stages of asset accumulation results in six strategy groups. We provide examples of …
The Impacts Of Ida Programs On Family Savings And Asset-Holdings, Michael Stegman, Robert Faris, Oswaldo Urdapilleta Gonzales
The Impacts Of Ida Programs On Family Savings And Asset-Holdings, Michael Stegman, Robert Faris, Oswaldo Urdapilleta Gonzales
Center for Social Development Research
This paper was commissioned for Inclusion in Asset Building: Research and Policy Symposium, an event hosted in September 2000 by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. A version was subsequently developed for publication in Inclusion in the American Dream: Assets, Poverty, and Public Policy (Oxford University Press, 2005). This paper supplements research on the national Individual Development Account (IDA) pilot known as the Downpayment on the American Dream Demonstration (ADD). Its subject is the financial impact of ADD on the net savings and assets of program participants, and it examines what ADD participants would have …
Linking Tax Refunds And Low-Cost Bank Accounts, Sondra G. Beverly, Jennifer Tescher, David Marzahl
Linking Tax Refunds And Low-Cost Bank Accounts, Sondra G. Beverly, Jennifer Tescher, David Marzahl
Center for Social Development Research
This paper was commissioned for Inclusion in Asset Building: Research and Policy Symposium, an event hosted in September 2000 by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. A version was subsequently developed for publication in Inclusion in the American Dream: Assets, Poverty, and Public Policy (Oxford University Press, 2005). The papert presents findings from an evaluation of the Extra Credit Savings Program (ECSP). Piloted in Chicago by ShoreBank and the Center for Law and Human Services, the program was designed to connect unbanked households to mainstream financial services and to facilitate ongoing asset accumulation in low-income …
Use Of Financial Services And The Poor, Jeanne M. Hogarth, Jinkook Lee
Use Of Financial Services And The Poor, Jeanne M. Hogarth, Jinkook Lee
Center for Social Development Research
This paper was commissioned for Inclusion in Asset Building: Research and Policy Symposium, an event hosted in September 2000 by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. The paper presents results from an analysis using data from the 1998 Survey of Consumer Finances to explore several aspects of the financial relationships of low-income households. The analyses looked at an updated profile of low-income and poor households, their financial portfolios, their attachment to the mainstream financial sector, and their use of various types of financial institutions. The findings suggest ways to move low-income households into the financial …
The Subsidy Dependence Index And Recent Attempts To Adjust It, Mark Schreiner, Jacob Yaron
The Subsidy Dependence Index And Recent Attempts To Adjust It, Mark Schreiner, Jacob Yaron
Center for Social Development Research
The Subsidy Dependence Index (SDI) is the most common way to measure the importance of public support for Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). We present the SDI and show its equivalence to a subsidy-adjusted measure of return on equity. We then review recent attempts to adjust the SDI. As a whole, the recent measures are either meaningless or answer unimportant questions. Their use does not lead to a better understanding of the social cost of a DFI.