Social Work Commons^™

Asset-Based Policy In South Korea, Youngmi Kim, Li Zou, Soyoon Weon, Michael Sherraden, Jin Yong Choi

Center for Social Development Research

Asset building was first discussed at the 56th Korean National Meetings in November 2004. In November 2006, the conference “Toward a New Paradigm in Social Policy: The Potential of Child Development Accounts in Asset-Based Social Policy,” organized by the Korean Labor Institute and Chung Ang University, generated substantial discussion and reinforced interest in asset-based policy in Korea.

Building Children's Assets In Singapore: The Beginning Of A Lifelong Policy, Vernon Loke, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Singapore has comprehensive lifelong asset-building policies for its citizens. Four programs specifically target children: (1) Children Development Accounts (CDAs) for children starting at birth to age 12; (2) the Edusave account for school children aged six to 17; (3) Postsecondary Education accounts (PSEAs) for children aged 13 years and older; and (4) the Medisave Account, which is opened for every newborn.

Use Of Alternative Financial Services Among Low- And Moderate-Income Households: Findings From A Large-Scale National Household Financial Survey, Mathieu R. Despard, Dana C. Perantie, Lingzi Luo, Jane Oliphant, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

Use of Alternative Financial Services Among Low- and Moderate-Income Households: Findings From a Large-Scale National Household Financial Survey

The Volunteer Income Tax Preparer's Toolkit: Showing Clients Why Tax Time Is The Right Time To Save, Meredith Covington, Janie Oliphant, Dana Perantie, Michael Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

The Volunteer Income Tax Preparer's Toolkit: Showing Clients Why Tax Time Is the Right Time to Save

Youth Saving Patterns And Performance In Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, And Nepal: Key Findings, Lissa Johnson, Yungsoo Lee, David Ansong, Margaret S. Sherraden, Gina A. N. Chowa, Fred Ssewamala, Li Zou, Moses Njenga, Joseph Kieyah, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Sharad Sharma, Jyoti Manandhar, Catherine Rodriguez, Frederico Merchán, Juan Saavedra, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

If provided an opportunity to save via formal financial services, do youth in developing countries participate, save, and accumulate assets? This was one of the key questions asked in YouthSave. Savings accounts were created in four developing countries, targeting youth aged 12 to 18 years from predominantly low-income households. This brief highlights research findings on account uptake and savings from the Savings Demand Assessment (SDA).

The Seed For Oklahoma Kids Child Development Account Experiment: Accounts, Assets, Earnings, And Savings, Sondra G. Beverly, Margaret M. Clancy, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This brief presents the latest results from SEED for Oklahoma Kids, a pathbreaking randomized experiment to test the effects of automatic, universal, and progressive Child Development Accounts (CDAs) in a statewide sample. Key features of the CDA are automatic opening of a 529 account and an automatic initial $1,000 deposit. The results show that CDAs with automatic deposits invested in a 529 plan may enable children to accumulate meaningful levels of assets over time, even if their families do not contribute to the accounts. As the brief indicates, the new results also have key implications for public policy.

Asset-Based Policy In China: Applied Projects And Policy Progress, Li Zou, Baorong Guo, Suo Deng, Jin Huang, Minchao Jin, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Since the Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis introduced the idea of asset building in China in 2004, asset-based projects and policy discussion have drawn great attention from the central government and mainstream media. CSD research and consultation have played a central role in these developments.

Asset-Based Policy In Hong Kong: Child Development Fund, Li Zou, Simon Lai, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The government of Hong Kong launched the HK$300 million Child Development Fund (CDF) in November 2008 to “capitalize on the strengths of various sectors in the community to help our disadvantaged children,” according to then Hong Kong’s Secretary for Labor and Welfare, Mr. Matthew Cheung Kin-chung. The Hong Kong government drew upon the asset-building research and experience of the Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis. Michael Sherraden of CSD consulted for the Hong Kong Government’s Commission on Poverty that planned the CDF policy.

Impacts Of Financial Inclusion On Youth Development: Findings From The Ghana Youthsave Experiment, Gina Chowa, Rainier Masa, David Ansong, Mat Despard, Shiyou Wu, Deborah Hughes, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Stephanie Afranie, Naa Adjorkor Mark-Sowah, Charles Ofori-Acquah, Yungsoo Lee, Lissa Johnson, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

The Ghana YouthSave Experiment investigated whether and how youth savings accounts affect financial capability; psychosocial, education, and health outcomes; and economic well-being of Ghanaian youth and their households. The research rigor in the Ghana experiment is unprecedented in resource-limited countries; therefore, it offers an opportunity to posit causal relationships between savings and youth development. This endline report, which comes three years after the baseline report, describes the Ghana experiment and presents experimental findings of YouthSave. The key research questions this report aims to answer is whether the Ghana experiment improved (1) savings patterns and performance for low-income youth; (2) low-income …

"Taking The Bank To The Youth:" Impacts On Saving And Asset Building From The Ghana Youthsave Experiment, Yungsoo Lee, Lissa Johnson, Michael Sherraden, David Ansong, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Gina Chowa

Center for Social Development Research

This working paper explores the experimental impact of in-school banking and financial marketing outreach on the savings performance of youth in schools across eight geographic regions in Ghana (i.e., “taking the bank to the youth”). The researchers found significant and sizable effects of the Ghana YouthSave experiment on savings performance. Youth in treatment schools performed better in terms of account opening, depositing, and savings than those in control schools. Between the two treatment conditions, in-school banking was more effective than marketing outreach in promoting account uptake and savings but the differences were marginally significant. Overall, the findings of the Ghana …

Financial Capability And Asset Building In Social Work Education: “The Big Piece Missing?”, Margaret S. Sherraden, Julie Birkenmaier, Michael Rochelle, Gena G. Mcclendon

Center for Social Development Research

Since the 1990s, social workers have renewed the profession’s early focus on improving the financial well-being of vulnerable families. Nonetheless, most social workers receive little training and education about how to help clients build stable and secure financial lives. This study uses in-depth interviews and pre- and post-surveys to examine the effects of a Financial Capability and Asset Building (FCAB) curriculum in six Minority Serving Institutions. In-depth interviews with 24 school administrators, FCAB instructors, and faculty colleagues suggest that faculty chose FCAB content based on course goals, content utility, and alignment with social work education standards. Furthermore, faculty reported gaining …

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.

Adopting A Financial Capability And Asset Building Curriculum At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Michael Rochelle, Gena Mcclendon, Melody Brackett, Michael Wright, Margaret Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Social workers currently engage in financial capability practice with low-income and financially vulnerable individuals and families in diverse practice settings but typically lack professional preparation for this work. In response, several schools of social work have begun developing curriculum. Using an in-depth interview methodology, this study explores the experiences of faculty and administrators (N=19) at four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that adopted a curriculum in financial capability and asset building. Findings show that key reasons for adopting are the relevance of the content to student and community needs, faculty interest, and alignment with program, institutional, and professional goals. …

Saving By Lumbee Indians: Toward A Theory Of Financial Practices From Yesterday And Today, Amy Locklear Hertel

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is designed to gain insight into the motivations, values, practices, and norms of saving in American Indian tribal communities, specifically the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. How Lumbee adults living in the community save financial resources, what they are saving for, and how those resources are spent are examined. Further, intergenerational messages on this topic are investigated. The main research question is what explains saving and building financial assets by Lumbee Indians? The aim is to identify common experiences in American Indian households that can inform a grounded theory of saving for this population.

Grounded theory is used …