Rhode Island newborns get college savings

Rhode Island’s treasurer and governor-elect, Gina M. Raimondo, on Dec. 10 announced a policy change to make college savings more accessible for newborn children in that state. In January, it will be as simple as checking a box.

New book explores asset building in Asia

Asian scholars, practitioners and policymakers share lessons about asset-building policies in Asia and chart the future in the new book “Asset-Building Policies and Innovations in Asia.”

CSD’s 20th anniversary: Looking ahead

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this academic year, the Center for Social Development is expanding by bringing in new leaders and new bodies of work.

Chicago event focuses on creating savings opportunities

The 80 experts attending the event were brought together by a common interest in creating strategies for using the “golden moment” of tax time to help Americans build savings by changing the way consumers make economic decisions.

CDA program urged for Israel

​Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Ph.D., the associate director of the Center for Social Development and associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University, presented to a visiting delegation of Israeli government officials in New York City.

Kids in developing countries can, do save

​Children in four developing countries saved more than $1.8 million during the YouthSave initiative, one of the largest scientific studies of the effect of savings on people ages 12 to 18.

Scholar from Taiwan returns to CSD during sabbatical

​Li-chen Cheng, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University, has rejoined the Brown School for a six-month sabbatical. Between 1990 to 1995, Dr. Cheng studied for her Ph.D. from 1990 to 1995 and worked on projects at CSD.

SRABC conference tackles racial wealth gap

As the racial wealth gap in the United States continues to broaden, the Southern Regional Asset Building Coalition has emerged with solutions for improving and sustaining communities that have historically high poverty rates and few assets.

Larry Davis to talk on ‘The University, the Community, and Race’

As part of the Ferguson & Beyond Lecture Series, Dr. Larry E. Davis, dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh and former Brown School faculty member, will present the talk “The University, the Community, and Race.”

FCAB course comes to Brown School

“Financial Capability Practice” — a course based on the Center for Social Development’s new Financial Capability & Asset Building curriculum — begins in January at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.

Treasury awards $1 million for CSD retirement savings research

The U.S. Treasury Department has awarded a $1.08 million research contract to the Center for Social Development at Washington University’s Brown School. One of 11 contracts awarded nationally under the Financial Empowerment Innovation Fund, this award will fund research on myRA accounts (“My Retirement Accounts”).

Next Age Institute launches

Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have established the Next Age Institute, an international partnership to study, design and test social innovations.

New book provides in-depth look at asset building in Asia, conversations continue

The Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis recognizes that asset-building policies in Asia offer important lessons in lifelong wealth and retirement security. International interest in these policies, particularly regarding aging populations, has prompted a book published in Chinese and one forthcoming in English.

SEED OK experiment already making an impact on families, policy

An experiment that models the first truly universal Child Development Account policy in the United States shows early positive impacts for parents and children, according to a research summary recently published by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.

New book explores the rise of asset building

More than two decades after Michael Sherraden, PhD, wrote Assets and the Poor – introducing asset building as a new social policy framework – that idea has taken off in numerous directions.

Interdisciplinary efforts on economic fragility spark new book, May 28 policy discussion in D.C.

The Great Recession and its aftermath — slow recovery, unemployment, underemployment and economic malaise — have produced an era unseen since the Great Depression. In an effort to study causes and find solutions, Washington University in St. Louis faculty from across disciplines are examining economic insecurity through the university’s Livable Lives Initiative.

CSD partners with St. Louis Fed on balance sheet symposium

​The Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis built on an already engaged and productive relationship this month when it co-sponsored a symposium with the Center for Household Financial Stability at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Maine becomes first state to provide college savings for all newborns

This week, the state of Maine became the first in the United States to make college savings for newborns universal and automatic, putting into practice research pioneered by Michael Sherraden and the Brown School’s Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sherraden appointed to named professorship in Singapore

Michael Sherraden, PhD, George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Social Development at the Brown School, has been named the inaugural S. R. Nathan Professor at the National University of Singapore.