Digital Commons Network^™

Child Development Accounts And Saving For Children's Future: Do Financial Incentives Matter?, Lisa Reyes Mason, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy, Youngmi Kim, Vernon Loke

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines savings outcomes in the first large-scale demonstration of Child Development Accounts (CDAs) in the United States—the Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment (SEED) initiative. It is also the first empirical study, to our knowledge, to investigate associations between savings outcomes and incentives in an asset-building program for children. This study enhances knowledge about saving in CDAs, incentives in public policy in general, and incentives in savings policy in particular. Results can inform CDA policy design.

Overview Of Child Development Accounts In Developing Countries, Jeff Meyer, Rainier D. Masa, Jamie M. Zimmerman

Center for Social Development Research

Child Development Accounts (CDAs) as a matter of policy have existed for some time, though predominantly in developed countries. While there are at least a few government social programs with CDA components in the developing world, such policies have yet to gain significant traction. This paper finds that despite this lack of policy movement, CDAs do exist in developing countries in a variety of forms and delivered by a diverse group of institutions. Government-linked institutions (such as savings and post banks); non-governmental institutions (such as credit unions and NGOs); and commercial financial institutions are all innovating in CDA design and …

Tribal Innovations In Children's Accounts, Miriam Jorgensen, Peter Morris

Center for Social Development Research

An important frontier in savings policy and research is the effectiveness of accounts at birth. This paper presents ideas and initial findings from the experience of American Indian nations—America’s first asset-builders—with such policies. It describes the motivations for creating “minors’ accounts,” which are offered by approximately 70 tribes. These tribes are the only jurisdictions in the nation to offer universal, unrestricted accounts for children. Increasingly, they also are using conditions and incentives to promote their policy goals. Their experiences and ideas offer important insights for mainstream policy makers and program managers (in the US and elsewhere) about how to design …

Assets As A Resource Variable In The Stress Management Of Low-Income Families, David Rothwell, Chang-Keun Han

Center for Social Development Research

The hard times resulting from the 2008 recession represent an opportunity to re-examine the theoretical framework for how families use economic resources to adjust and adapt to stress. Sherraden’s (1991) theory of assets and McCubbin and Patterson’s (1983) Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model are used to demonstrate how assets relate to family stressors and demands among a sample of 839 low-income families. The negative relationship between assets and financial stressors and financial strain suggest that the expansion of social welfare policies promoting assets among low-income families may positively influence family relations. Future research on family relations would benefit …

Productive Aging Conference Report, Nancy Morrow-Howell, Gao Jianguo, Li Zou, Xie Yuxi

Center for Social Development Research

Productive Aging Conference Report

City And Community Innovations In Cdas: The Role Of Community-Based Organizations, Carl Rist, Liana Humphrey

Center for Social Development Research

In the SEED Initiative, twelve community-based organizations (CBOs) across the United States and its territories were chosen to offer CDAs, establish best practices in delivering CDAs and demonstrate “proof of concept.” Since the inception of the SEED Initiative, a second wave of CDA programs has emerged at the local level. The purpose of this paper is to analyze these community and city-wide CDA innovations in the U.S. and to examine the role that CBOs play in these innovations. First, this paper explores the theory behind CBO engagement in asset-building and the roles CBOs typically play at the local level. Second, …

Financial Capability In Children: Effects Of Participation In A School-Based Financial Education And Savings Program, Margaret S. Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Baorong Guo, William Elliott

Center for Social Development Research

A groundswell of interest in young people’s ability to understand and handle financial decisions has generated keen interest in financial knowledge and effectiveness of financial education. This study examines an innovative four-year school-based financial education and savings program, called “I Can Save” (ICS). Using a quasi-experimental design, the study examines quantitative and qualitative data to analyze program effects on financial knowledge. Children who participated in ICS scored significantly higher on a financial literacy test than comparison group students in the same school, regardless of parent education and income. Results suggest that children increase financial capability when they have access to …

Assets And Child Well-Being In Developing Countries: A Research Review, Gina A. N. Chowa, David Ansong, Rainier Masa

Center for Social Development Research

The impact of assets on child well-being in developing countries has received considerable attention in the last decade. Increased recognition of the critical role played by assets in enhancing children’s well-being has spurred efforts to study the relationship between assets and a range of outcomes for children. This chapter reviews current studies (i.e., conducted within the past 10 years) that explore the relationship of asset ownership and a range of outcomes. The studies we have included in this review illustrate the impact that assets can have on children’s outcomes in the area of health, education, and child labor. Overall, the …

Youth And Savings In Assetsafrica, Gina A. N. Chowa, David Ansong

Center for Social Development Research

As youth transition to adulthood, their ability to save and accumulate assets becomes very important as they begin to accept financial responsibilities and plan for the future. In this paper, we investigated the effects of an asset building intervention on youth asset accumulation in Masindi, a rural area in Uganda. Two waves of data were collected on youth, between 15 and 35 years of age, for both the treatment and comparison groups. We used a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique and Difference-in-Difference model to estimate the effects of the asset building intervention. We find that the mean difference in financial …

Measuring Volunteer Outcomes: Development Of The International Volunteer Impacts Survey, Benjamin J. Lough, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Margaret S. Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Current research on international volunteering and service is largely descriptive but program administrators and policymakers seek information about outcomes. This article reports on a 90-item survey administered to 983 respondents. Using factor analysis procedures, we assess factor structure and reliability across a range of outcomes in an International Volunteer Impacts Survey (IVIS) instrument designed to measure IVS volunteer outcomes. Resulting outcome categories include international contacts, open-mindedness, international understanding, intercultural relations, global identity, social skills, life plans, civic activism, community engagement, media attentiveness, and financial contributions. In this article, we discuss research design, survey administration, and further development of the IVIS.

Youth Saving Preferences In Sub-Saharan Africa And The Potential For Asset Accumulation, David Ansong, Gina Chowa

Center for Social Development Research

As youth transition to adulthood, their ability to save and accumulate assets becomes very important as they begin to accept financial responsibilities and plan for the future. This paper uses data from Masindi, a rural area in Uganda, to (a) investigate the savings preferences of youth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), (b) examine the relationship between an asset-building intervention for youth and higher savings, and (c) determine whether gender and marital status interact in their effect on young people’s savings in SSA. Univariate statistics, independent sample t-test and factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to address the study’s three goals. …

Second Thoughts: Who Almost Participates In An Ida?, David Rothwell, Chang-Keun Han

Center for Social Development Research

Self-selection into social intervention programs may bias the estimates of treatment impact. Data from an Individual Development Account (IDA) program (N = 758) are used to examine the self-selection process. Persons who applied but did not enroll are assumed to have had “second thoughts” about program participation. Multivariate logistic regression predicted second thoughts and showed that having children in the household and negative net worth, along with not owning a vehicle, were positively related to having second thoughts. Those saving for an education were more likely than those saving for a home or business to have second thoughts. Implications for …

State-Level Asset-Building Coalitions: Origins, Operations, And Achievements, Naomi Warren, Gena Gunn

Center for Social Development Research

State-Level Asset-Building Coalitions: Origins, Operations, and Achievements

Asset Building Among Native Hawaiians: Lessons From The Kahikū Ida Program, David Rothwell

Center for Social Development Research

Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) are matched savings accounts that encourage asset development for individuals and families with low incomes. Unique program data from an IDA program serving 758 Native Hawaiians were used to model the probability of participating in and graduating from the IDA program. Multivariate logistic regression models show that children in the household, lack of vehicle ownership, and savings goal (education) were associated with a reduced likelihood of program participation. Participants who owned homes and had relatively high savings balances prior to starting the program were more likely to graduate. Additionally, Maui participants were more than three times …

Trauma, Attachment, And Family Therapy With Grandfamilies: A Model For Treatment, Deena D. Strong, Roy A. Bean, Leslie L. Feinauer

Faculty Publications

Population estimates indicate that approximately 1.5 million children are in grandparent-headed households without any parents present. This type of grandfamily is often created when biological parents are unable or unwilling to care for their children. Trauma is often experienced as a precursor to, or a consequence of, the biological parents' inability or unwillingness to care for their children. The well-being of both grandparent and grandchild may be affected in grandfamilies. A treatment model is presented that integrates trauma, attachment, and family systems theories and proposes that healing is facilitated through the emerging attachment between the grandparent and grandchild.

Evaluation Of Adult Lucas County Treatment Alternatives To Street Crime, Inc. (Tasc): Outcomes Related To Program Completion, Melissa W. Burek, Christine M. Englebrecht

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The central purpose of this research was to evaluate the Lucas County, Ohio Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime (TASC) program for adult clients. The principal investigator was Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Melissa W. Burek, Ph.D. from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in conjunction with Stacey Rychener, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Evaluation Services and associates at BGSU. Co-author of the report that follows was Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Christine Englebrecht, Ph.D., also of BGSU. Data collection for the project began in January 2009 and completed in late March of same year.

We had three general objectives for …

Evaluation Report Of Vital Visionaries: Medical Student And Older Adult Outcomes, Ernest Gonzales, Nancy Morrow-Howell

Center for Social Development Research

Evaluation Report of Vital Visionaries: Medical Student and Older Adult Outcomes

Creative Partnerships Between Gear Up And State College Savings Plans: Experience And Policy Potential, Margaret M. Clancy, Rebekah Miller

Center for Social Development Research

This brief provides examples of how GEAR UP and state College Savings Plans are working together to provide information and resources to low-income and at-risk students. To illustrate experience and potential, the Center for Social Development documents and assesses four existing partnerships between College Savings Plans and GEAR UP. State-level experiences to date suggest several policy implications.

Parental Assets And Children's Educational Outcomes, Vernon Loke, Paul Sacco

Center for Social Development Research

Several countries, including Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom, have enacted asset-based policies for children in recent years. The premise underlying these policies is that increases in assets lead to improvement in various child outcomes over time. But little existing research examines this premise from a dynamic perspective. Using data from the NLSY79 mother and child datasets, two parallel process latent growth curve models are estimated to examine the effects of parental asset accumulation on changes in children’s math and reading achievement over six years during middle childhood. Results indicate that the initial level of assets is positively associated with …

College Savings Plans: Investment Options, Safety, And Policy Implications, Margaret M. Clancy, Joe Jovanovich

Center for Social Development Research

With recent stock market decline, balances in many college savings (529) plans have also declined. Investment options such as money market funds or FDIC-insured CDs are gaining attention, and questions are being raised about the safety of 529 savings plan investments. This brief provides information on 529 savings plan investment options and safety as well as policy implications.

Food Insecurity And Disability: Do Economic Resources Matter?, Jin Huang, Baorong Guo, Youngmi Kim

Center for Social Development Research

This research examines the relationship between work disability and food insecurity, and tests whether the positive association between disability and food insecurity is accounted for by two mechanisms: economic resources and/or competing consumption needs. a sample (N=6,997) is chosen from the 1999 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) with over 1,200 households headed by people with disabilities. Findings support both mechanisms but depending on the levels of food insecurity and the types of family economic resources, their success at explaining the relationship of disability with food insecurity varies. In addition, we find that household assets are more effective than income …

Childhood Sexual Abuse, Other Childhood Factors, And Pathways To Survivors’ Adult Relationship Quality, Eric C. Walker, Thomas B. Holman, Dean M. Busby

Faculty Publications

We were interested in understanding how the effects of childhood sexual abuse, in concert with other negative childhood experiences, were carried forward into adult romantic relationships. Data from 15,831 married or cohabitating individuals were gathered via the RELATE Questionnaire. Empirical research, attachment theory, and a general model of adult relationship quality suggested that the path from negative childhood events to adult relationship quality was mediated by a number of individual and relational affect-laden variables. Results showed that childhood abuse and other family-of-origin variables work primarily through the adult survivor’s perceptions of the events of his or her childhood. This “current …

Five Low-Cost Ideas To Help Families Save For College, Margaret M. Clancy, David Newville

Center for Social Development Research

Improvements to the 529 platform could increase the number of low- and moderate-income families saving in 529s and make it easier for these families to build assets for education. These reforms include large initiatives, such as coordinating existing higher education tax credits and financial aid with 529s, as well as small initiatives to increase savings. This document contains several low-cost, simple reforms for 529s at the federal level. These would be important first steps for enabling more low- and moderate-income students to complete higher education.

Seed Account Monitoring Research, Lisa Reyes Mason, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy, Vernon Loke, Youngmi Kim

Center for Social Development Research

SEED Account Monitoring Research

Seed Deposit, Match Cap, And Net Savings Patterns: An Assessment Of Institutional Incentives In The I Can Save Program, Baorong Guo, Margaret S. Sherraden, Lissa Johnson

Center for Social Development Research

Incentive structures are key to the success of asset-building programs. a review of the existing literature reveals a lack of knowledge regarding the time dimension of incentive structures embedded in the asset-building programs. It is not clear how saving performance may change even when institutional settings stay the same over time. Using cash flow data from I Can Save, a small-scale Child Development Account demonstration project, this study closely examines how two institutional components, seed deposit and match cap, affect net savings over the four-year observation period. Results from the descriptive and multivariate analyses show that saving performance is a …

Perceived Effects Of International Volunteering: Reports From Alumni, Benjamin Lough, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Margaret S. Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Perceived Effects of International Volunteering: Reports From Alumni

Evaluation Of Experience Corps: Student Reading Outcomes, Nancy Morrow-Howell, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Stacey Mccrary, Yungsoo Lee, Ed Spitznagel

Center for Social Development Research

Evaluation of Experience Corps: Student Reading Outcomes

Experience Corps: Effects On Student Reading, Nancy Morrow-Howell, Stacey Mccrary, Yung Soo Lee, Ed Spitznagel, Melissa Jonson-Reid

Center for Social Development Research

Experience Corps: Effects on Student Reading

A Case For Stipends In Volunteer Service, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Ernest Gonzalez, Nancy Morrow-Howell, Stacey Mccrary

Center for Social Development Research

Long-term, intensive volunteer roles in civic service programs are often stipended, meaning volunteers receive monetary support for their time commitment that is considerably below market wages. The effect of stipends on role uptake, performance, and perceived benefits is not known. In this study, we seek to understand the role of stipends as an institutional facilitator. Using data from a longitudinal study of older adults serving in the national service program Experience Corps (N=263), we assess stipend status relative to volunteer socio-demographic characteristics, characteristics of the service experience, and volunteers’ perceived benefits. Overall, we find that stipends may promote participant diversity. …

Seed Account Monitoring Research: Participants, Savings, And Accumulation, Lisa Reyes Mason, Yunju Reyes Mason, Margaret Clancy, Vernon Loke, Youngmi Kim

Center for Social Development Research

SEED Account Monitoring Research: Participants, Savings, and Accumulation