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Financial Knowledge And Attitudes Of Youth In Ghana, Gina A. N. Chowa, Mathieu R. Despard, Isaac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Financial Knowledge and Attitudes of Youth in Ghana

Youth In The Ghana Experiment: Characteristics And Living Conditions, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier Masa, Isaac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Youth in the Ghana Experiment: Characteristics and Living Conditions

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

Socioeconomic Status And Early Savings Outcomes: Evidence From A Statewide Child Development Account Experiment, Sondra G. Beverly, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

Socioeconomic Status and Early Savings Outcomes: Evidence From a Statewide Child Development Account Experiment

Parental Asset Accumulation Trajectories And Children's College Outcomes, Vernon Loke

Center for Social Development Research

The effects of parental assets on children’s educational outcomes have mainly been explored from the perspective of asset holdings. However, the process of asset accumulation may also have effects. While asset-based policies are predicated on the premise of asset accumulation, little is known about the effects of different asset accumulation trajectories. This study attempts to fill this gap. The results indicate that youths born into households that had asset holdings significantly higher than zero have better college outcomes compared to youths born into households with lower levels of net worth that did not increase significantly over time. However, when lower-wealth …

Seoul Hope Plus Savings Accounts: Asset-Building Program For Low-Income Households In Seoul, Youngmi Kim, Soonung Lee, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Seoul Hope Plus Savings Accounts: Asset-Building Program for Low-Income Households in Seoul

Are Child Development Accounts Inclusive? Early Evidence From A Statewide Experiment, Sondra G. Beverly, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

A key objective of Child Development Accounts (CDAs) is to increase college completion rates among disadvantaged youth by helping families accumulate assets for college and by encouraging youth to see themselves as college bound. While the major asset-building programs in the United States largely benefit socioeconomically advantaged individuals, CDAs explicitly aim to facilitate account holding and asset accumulation by disadvantaged families. But do CDAs meet the goal of being inclusive? This research uses data from a large CDA experiment with probability sampling and random assignment to examine early CDA savings outcomes. Findings indicate that the CDA improves outcomes for several …

Risk And Protective Factors For Bullying Victimization Among Sexual Minority Youths, Paul Sterzing

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Sexual minority youths: SMY) suffer higher rates of bullying victimization and related mental health and academic problems compared to their heterosexual peers. At present, little research has investigated the modifiable and non-modifiable risk and protective factors that are associated with lower frequencies of bullying victimization and victim distress for SMY. This study utilized a risk and resilience theoretical framework and addressed the following research questions among a community-based sample of SMY: 1) What are the associations between risk and protective factors and the frequencies of total and four types: i.e., verbal, relational, electronic, and physical) of bullying victimization? 2) What …

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. …

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 …

Assets For Independence: Asset Building For And By Young People, Sondra G. Beverly

Center for Social Development Research

Young people need assets to make the transition to adulthood. This article summarizes the four preceding articles on youth and saving, identifies policy and program implications, and suggests directions for future research. It is clear that saving is difficult for many people and throughout the life course. Efforts to help young people accumulate assets might encourage saving by parents, encourage saving by youth, or provide subsidies. The latter strategy is most likely to reduce inequities associated with socioeconomic status. These strategies do not have to be pursued in isolation, and ongoing conversations across disciplines and between scholars and practitioners could …

Informing Policy On Volunteer Service Through Agency-Based Evaluations, Nancy Morrow-Howell, Susan Stapleton, Amanda Moore Mcbride

Center for Social Development Research

This working paper describes the evidence-based policy making process. We focus on what information is needed to inform policy development and decision-making on volunteer service and then how this information can be most effectively disseminated to policy makers, outlining a range of specific strategies. Existing volunteer service research is used as illustration. Implications are drawn for the capacity of agency staff to implement the research methods and strategies that are discussed.

Psychotropic Medication Use In Older Foster Youth: A Focus On Racial Differences, Sarah Carter Narendorf

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Problem: The use of psychotropic medications among foster youth has received growing national attention due to high rates of use and concerns about the appropriateness of prescribing. Understanding medication use in older foster youth is of heightened concern as these youth are preparing to transition out of the state custody and assume the management of their mental health care. While it has been established that rates of medication use are high among this population, little is known about the demographic and clinical factors associated with high rates of medication use and what patterns of use look like over time.

Methods: …

Contributions Of Qualitative Research To Understanding Saving Theory For Children And Youth, Margaret Sherraden, Clark Peters, Kristen Wagner, Margaret Clancy, Baorong Guo

Center for Social Development Research

This paper explores contributions of qualitative research to saving theory for children, youth, and parents in Children’s Development Account (CDA) programs. It brings together findings from three studies: (1) elementary school age children saving for college, (2) youth transitioning from foster care saving for education and other purposes, and (3) mothers of toddlers saving for college. Findings suggest that children, youth, and parents find CDAs helpful in accumulating savings. CDAs interact with developmental stages to motivate and facilitate saving. Accumulating savings has positive meaning for participants in CDAs for economic and psychological reasons. However, although CDAs overcome some obstacles in …

Global Poverty - Local Problem: Institutional Determinants Of Poverty Among Indigenous Peoples Of Nepal, Gyanesh Lama

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation investigated why some groups or communities become poor while others become rich. Using institutional design as a theoretical guidance, the study conducted an in-depth analysis of the socioeconomic disparities between indigenous peoples and caste people in Nepal. The study used multilevel modeling, Geographic Information System: GIS), and ethnography research methods. Indigenous peoples in Nepal were found to be significantly at higher risk of poverty than caste people. Discrimination against indigenous peoples appears to be the key determinant of indigenous poverty. Geographic isolation and proximity to caste people were also significant predictors of indigenous poverty. The study has implication …

The Impact Of Household Possessions On Youth's Academic Achievement In The Ghana Youthsave Experiment, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier D. Masa, Christopher J. Wretman, David Ansong

Center for Social Development Research

Households play an important role in youth’s academic achievement. Household assets as part of youth’s family background have been found to have a significant impact on youth’s academic achievement. In this study, the impact of household possessions on youth’s academic achievement in the Ghana YouthSave experiment is investigated. Findings support the hypothesized positive direction of the impact of household possessions on academic achievement of youth. Using propensity score optimal matching and matching estimators, results show youth from households that reported owning at least one of the five household items measured scored almost 1 unit higher on English than their peers …

Palliative Care Consultation Trajectories, Elissa Kozlov

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In 2008, the Veterans Association: VA) mandated that all VA hospitals have a palliative care consult team: PCCT) to provide services to veterans with life-limiting illness. PCCTs within the VA are new, so little is known about their efficacy and utilization. The purpose of this study is to examine the timing of PCCT consultations and responses; document and categorize types and rates recommendations; determine rates at which recommendations are implemented; and identify factors related to if recommendations are made and implemented. This electronic medical records review study examined 200 initial palliative care consultations conducted in one VA hospital between January …

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

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

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

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 …

Assets, Economic Opportunity, And Toxic Stress: A Framework For Understanding Child And Educational Outcomes, Trina R. Williams Shanks, Christine Robinson

Center for Social Development Research

Child health, educational attainment, and family socioeconomic status are inextricably linked. We introduce a model that ties together research drawn from the fields of economics, education, psychology, sociology, medicine, epidemiology, neuroscience, public health and biostatistics. Organized around an integrated conceptual paradigm of environmental, economic, familial and psychosocial pathways, we demonstrate various ways SES alters the performance of biological systems, thereby affecting family interaction, stress, school success, and child outcomes.

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.

Individual Development Accounts And Post-Secondary Education: Evidence From A Randomized Experiment, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Michael Sherraden, William Gale, William M. Rohe, Mark Schreiner, Clinton Key

Center for Social Development Research

This paper presents evidence from a randomized field experiment testing the impact of a 3-year matched savings program on educational outcomes 10 years later. We examine the effect of an Individual Development Account (IDA) program on educational enrollment, degree completion, and increased education level. The IDA program, which ran from 1998 to 2003 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, provided low-income households with financial education and matching funds for qualified savings withdrawals, including a 1:1 match for educational uses. We find a significant impact on education enrollment and positive, but non-significant impacts on degree completion and increase in level of education. We also …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Educational Attainment, Jin Huang

Center for Social Development Research

Intergenerational transmission of education from parents to children has been investigated extensively, and the parent-child correlation of schooling is about .46 in the US. a high intergenerational persistence of educational attainment is not only an indicator of educational inequality but also a barrier to equal opportunities in the labor market and beyond. This study uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to generate a sample of two cohorts of white children (’84 and ’94 cohorts), and examines whether intergenerational transmission of education varies by household economic resources, especially household assets. Results show that, in the ’94 cohort, …

Parental Educational Expectations By Race/Ethnicity And Socioeconomic Status, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

Research has linked parents’ educational expectations to children’s educational attainment, but findings regarding differences in educational expectations by race/ethnicity have been inconsistent. In addition, existing studies have focused on school-age children and their parents. In this study, we examine educational expectations in mothers of newborn children using a state representative sample. a series of logistic regressions are conducted for the full sample (N=2,572) and for individual racial groups to investigate parental educational expectations by race and Hispanic origin. The study finds that non-Hispanic Whites hold higher educational expectations for their children compared to African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanics. However, …

The Effects Of College Savings On Postsecondary School Enrollment Rates Of Students With Disabilities, Gregory A. Cheatman, William Elliott Iii

Center for Social Development Research

This is the first study to examine whether parents’ college savings is positively associated with special education students’ enrollment in postsecondary school. In addition to examining postsecondary school enrollment among students with disabilities, we also examine whether students’ and parents’ college expectations act as a mediator between parents’ college savings and postsecondary school enrollment. We find that while not all types of college savings are associated with postsecondary enrollment, college bonds are a consistent and strong statistically significant predictor of postsecondary enrollment for students with disabilities. Further, we find evidence students’ and parents’ college expectations act as a partial mediator …

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 …

Financial Knowledge And Child Development Account Policy: A Test Of Financial Capability, Jin Huang, Yunju Nam, Margaret Sherrard Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines how study participants’ financial knowledge and participation in a Child Development Account (CDA) intervention affect 529 College Savings Plan account holding among caregivers of infants. The study uses data from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids experiment (SEED OK, N=2,51), a statewide randomized experiment using a probability sample of infants selected from birth records. SEED OK is a policy test of universal and progressive CDAs that encourage families to accumulate assets for their children’s future. Results of logit regression show that participants’ financial knowledge is positively related to the account holding in the treatment group, but not in …

"You Pay Your Share, We'll Pay Our Share": The College Cost Burden And The Role Of Race, Income, And College Assets, William Elliott, Terri Friedline

Center for Social Development Research

Changes in financial aid policies may place too much of the burden of paying for college on students. In addition, incentives for accumulating college assets may exacerbate the college cost burden on minority and lower income students. Our study investigated the impacts of these policy changes on college cost burden using trivariate probit analysis with predicted probabilities. We find that recent changes in the financial aid system place a higher responsibility on African American, Latino/Hispanic, and moderate-income students to pay for college themselves. an implication is that greater opportunities for more and higher dollar grants and scholarships at 4-year colleges …