Assets and the Poor: Evidence From Individual Development Accounts

This chapter proceeds as follows. We first present Individual Development Accounts (IDA) and American Dream Demonstration (ADD), review relevant saving theory, and discuss current asset-subsidization policy. We then discuss evidence from ADD on whether the poor can save in IDAs, how IDAs work, where deposits come from, who saves in IDAs, and what IDAs cost. The final section summarizes the main results.

Project: Inclusion in Asset Building: Research and Policy Symposium