The differences between the US and the UK are particularly concentrated in the role of community organisations, the match rate, and restrictions on how the money is used. This paper asks what lessons are revealed by these three US/UK differences. In asking, it becomes apparent that there is a fundamental question over the purpose of matched savings accounts: are they intended to develop a savings habit, build up an asset stock, or assist the purchase of specific items? In the UK, the emphasis is more on the savings habit and the assets buffer than it appears to be in America, but in different areas of programme design the tensions between objectives are acute.
Citation
Maxwell, D., & Paxton, W. (2005). ADD: Lessons from the UK (CSD Research Report No. 05-39). St. Louis, MO: Washington University, Center for Social Development.