Asset Building as Social Investment

Asset-building policies have been widely adopted since the middle of the 20th century, but most lack features that would make them accessible to all populations—features such as universal at-birth enrollment and progressive incentive structures. Because these policies are not inclusive, they primarily serve the well-off and are highly regressive. In this contribution to Social Investments, Asset Building, and Social Development—the State of the Art: A Special Issue in Honor of James Midgley, Michael Sherraden continued the work of formulating a proposal for a national policy to foster broad economic security by extending the benefits of asset accumulation to all members of society.