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Recent News
University of Denver hosts Grand Challenges event featuring Sherraden
Michael Sherraden will deliver the keynote address at the Grand Challenges for Social Work event Economic Equality and Financial Capability on October 25 at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work.
NSF funds research into impact of race, gender in U.S. schools
Sheretta Butler-Barnes, associate professor of social work at the Brown School and faculty director of Youth Development at the Center for Social Development, and Odis Johnson, associate professor of education and of sociology, in Arts & Sciences, have received a National Science Foundation grant of $100,000.
Poster highlights CSD’s Environment and Social Development project
Global environmental changes affect people worldwide, with impacts that are not just physical, but also social and economic. These changes affect family and community stability, social relationships, health and sometimes survival.
Tsinghua University professor discusses social work in China
Students, faculty and staff crowded into Brown Hall on Sept. 17 to hear Professor Sheying Chen deliver the lecture “Building Social Work in China.”
Series seeks to change narrative for local black males
HomeGrown STL Director Sean Joe and St. Louis American Managing Editor Chris King have teamed up to produce a yearlong series called “Homegrown Black Males” to change the narrative for local black teens and men.
Shenyang Guo receives Distinguished Faculty Award
Guo, the Frank J. Bruno Distinguished Professor of Social Work Research, is the research director at the Center for Social Development.
Prime minister speaks at launch of book on asset building policies
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke at the August 24 launch of the book “Critical Issues in Asset Building in Singapore’s Development.” Professors S. Vasoo and Bilveer Singh at the National University of Singapore (NUS) edited the book. The lead chapter is by Michael Sherraden, director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.
Nobel Peace Prize recipient discusses poverty with Zou
Li Zou, the Center for Social Development’s international director, participated in two high-profile events this summer in Beijing.
CSD sponsors voter engagement summit
Representatives from St. Louis universities and community organizations gathered for the first Campus and Community Voter Engagement Summit, on August 9 at the Brown School.
Leader speaks about family policies in former Soviet republic
The head of the Republic of Azerbaijan’s Office of the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs was the Center for Social Development’s guest recently.
Forum focuses on expanding access to 529 college savings plans
More than 65 invited guests from 18 states and the District of Columbia attended a lively Child Development Account Forum in late July at the Brown School of Social Work. CSD and Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt, who oversees Missouri’s 529 college savings plan, hosted the event.
Global report focuses on volunteerism and community resilience
Volunteers tie communities together because they are active in every major shock and stress communities experience, from earthquakes and flooding to climate change and local conflicts, finds the new 2018 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report.
Pennsylvania adopts universal Child Development Account policy
With bipartisan support, Pennsylvania is launching a statewide policy to provide college savings accounts for all newborns with a $100 scholarship grant. The universal, automatic-enrollment Child Development Account policy will affect many families: Pennsylvania averages 140,000 births a year.
Taiwan adopts a Child Development Account policy
A national Child Development Account policy is emerging in Taiwan. President Tsai Ing-wen in June signed into law the Act on Savings Accounts for the Education and Development of Children and Teenagers.
Free event to explore the power of the black vote
Please join us for the event Black Wealth, Black Health: The Power of the Black Vote, from 2-4 p.m. June 30 at Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave.
New: A guide to tax-time financial capability efforts
“A Toolkit for Expanding Financial Capability at Tax Time” is now available and free to download. The 70-page book presents the current evidence underpinning various tax-time efforts to expand financial capability among low- and moderate-income households.
Prison reform ‘unites people from across the political spectrum’
The White House hosted a high-profile summit meeting on federal prison reform on May 18, and Carrie Pettus-Davis, who helped to organize it, sat among cabinet members. The summit “was a message to the world that the United States is ready to change how it does incarceration,” she says.
New textbook focuses on financially vulnerable families
The first textbook to focus on financially vulnerable households is now available from Oxford University Press. “Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households: Theory and Practice” teaches about financial capability and asset building through the stories of four families whose lives unfold over 23 chapters.
Webinars showcase Grand Challenges leadership
Our faculty and staff are committed to advancing racial equity, and one of the most important vehicles is the national Grand Challenges for Social Work. We’ve created four webinars to highlight this initiative.
On the agenda: How to advance Child Development Accounts
About 50 researchers, practitioners, policymakers and funders met this month in Washington, D.C., to discuss how to advance the field of Child Development Account programs by making them sustainable and scaleable to reach millions.
Forum focuses on financial capability for vulnerable families
To celebrate Financial Capability Month, the Center for Social Development and the Center for Household Financial Stability at the St. Louis Federal Reserve convened a forum, “Coin a Better Future: Reaching Out to Financially Vulnerable Families.”
Partners release community report on housing segregation in St. Louis
A new 115-page community-driven report on segregation and housing in St. Louis was released this week by numerous local partners in the fields of public health, law, fair housing and community development.
Scholars identify the high price of U.S. childhood poverty
The annual cost of childhood poverty in the United States is more than $1 trillion, according to a new study by Michael McLaughlin and Mark R. Rank.
Castro-Gonzalves is Brown School commencement speaker
Brown School alumna Charita L. Castro-Gonzalves, MSW ’99, will return to St. Louis as the featured speaker for the Brown School Recognition and Hooding Ceremony on Thursday, May 17.
Grinstein-Weiss named Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, PhD, was installed as the Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor on April 2 before an audience of colleagues, collaborators, supporters and family members, including many from her native Israel.
Student founds social work profession in her home country
Growing up in war and chaos, Aytakin Huseynli knew she wanted to help others, but the profession of “social work” didn’t exist in Azerbaijan. Later, she would go to great lengths to change that.
Center for Social Development initiative takes on barriers to voting
Voter Access and Engagement is a nonpartisan partnership that connects public, nonprofit and private-sector organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Ten essentials for taking Child Development Accounts to scale
A new CSD brief aims to advance Child Development Account policy by identifying 10 elements for universal and progressive CDAs at scale.
Register soon for March 21 annual Social Work Day on the Hill
The Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy will hold the fourth annual Social Work Day on the Hill on March 21, in Washington, D.C.
HomeGrown STL rallying cry: ‘Build the village that raises the child’
More than 120 people working to improve the lives of black boys and young men in St. Louis participated in the second annual HomeGrown STL Summit on February 8.
Incentive reform key to racial equity in America’s cities
A new paper by Molly Metzger, assistant professor at the Brown School, and Nay’Chelle Harris, masters research fellow in housing policy, analyzes “Team TIF St. Louis.”
Ssewamala named William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor
On February 8, Fred Melch Ssewamala, PhD, a renowned social and economic development scholar, was installed as the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor at the Brown School of Social Work.
Lough recognized with International Achievement award
Benjamin J. Lough, faculty director of International Service, received the Sheth Distinguished Faculty Award for International Achievement from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International Programs.
New FCAB book coming in February
A new book about financial capability and asset building will be released next month. The 144-page book — “Financial Capability and Asset Building with Diverse Populations: Improving Financial Well-being in Families and Communities” — is aimed at policymakers, researchers and practitioners who assist financially vulnerable people.
Michael Sherraden: We already have ‘baby bonds’
As economists float the proposal to give every newborn in the United States a “baby bond” account with between $500 to $50,000 in cash, Michael Sherraden, director of the Center for Social Development, says a solution already exists — Child Development Accounts.
Sherraden receives career award for social policy research
Michael Sherraden, PhD, received the Society for Social Work and Research’s 2018 Social Policy Researcher Award, which is “in recognition of Dr. Sherraden’s record of accomplishment that demonstrates distinguished achievement across an extended career of research in social policy.”
‘Asset-Building Policies and Innovations in Asia’ now in paperback
The book “Asset-Building Policies and Innovation in Asia” – a valuable resource for students and scholars of Asian social policy – is now available in paperback.
Student spotlight: From policing to policy work
Luther Tyus, an ex-police officer, is now a graduate research assistant with our Race and Opportunity Lab. “I got here,” he says of the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, “and it feels like the world opened up.”
Dick Durbin, Shaun King speak at decarceration conference
Writer and activist Shaun King and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke at the Smart Decarceration Initiative’s second conference.
NYU social science theorist James Jaccard speaks at Brown School
James Jaccard, PhD, a well-known theorist in applied social science, spoke about theory, program design and evaluation in a lecture November 9 at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.
‘Social Justice and the Environment’ event honors Barry Commoner
The event “Social Justice and the Environment” commemorated what would have been Barry Commoner’s 100th year on November 2, 2017.
‘Financial Diaries’ authors detail Americans’ shaky income streams
In a joint appearance, the authors of “The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty” headlined an October 24 event co-sponsored by the Center for Social Development and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Pettus-Davis and panelists launch Smart Decarceration book
About 65 people participated in the October 17 event to celebrate the new book “Smart Decarceration: Achieving Criminal Justice Transformation in the 21st Century,” led by co-editor Carrie Pettus-Davis, PhD.
HomeGrown STL nearing action ‘on the ground’ for black males
HomeGrown STL is close to putting its strategy for collective impact to work in St. Louis. The project, part of the Center for Social Development’s Race and Opportunity Lab, aims to support the social mobility of black boys and men between the ages of 12 and 29 in St. Louis City and County.
CSD colleague launches global research center at UNC
The Global Social Development Innovations research center will focus on developing community-driven initiatives that address economic security, workforce development, financial inclusion, social protection, health and education.
‘Toxic Inequality’ author Shapiro shares insights from 187 families
Shapiro and his team have spent 12 years following the lives of 187 families in St. Louis, Boston and Los Angeles.
Smart Decarceration Initiative to host national conference in Chicago
The Smart Decarceration Initiative will hold its second national conference, “Tools and Tactics: Promising Solutions to Advance the Era of Smart Decarceration,” November 2-4 at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.
Event explores employers’ options to improve workers’ financial wellness
JPMorgan Chase, Prudential and Staples were among the companies that sent representatives to a conference about financial wellness programs for employees, hosted by the Center for Social Development at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.
‘Celebrating the Strengths of Black Girls’ finishes fifth session
Seventeen middle-school girls recently completed “Celebrating the Strengths of Black Girls,” a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math program for racial and ethnic minority girls in the St. Louis region.
Buder scholars join faculty at universities in Alaska, Illinois
The Center for Social Development congratulates Shanondora Billiot, PhD, and Jessica Black, PhD, on their new faculty positions at the University of Illinois School of Social Work and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, respectively.
Report explores statewide Child Development Account policies
Four states have created statewide Child Development Account policies, and a new report describes them in detail with the intent of informing new initiatives in the United States.
Event to focus on how companies can create a financially stable workforce
On Tuesday, September 19, leading human resources executives are coming to Washington University in St. Louis to discuss how companies can help alleviate their employees’ financial stresses.
For employers, a primo primer on financial wellness services
The Center for Social Development at the Brown School of Social Work has partnered with Prosperity Now to produce a guide for companies: “Workplace Financial Wellness Services: A Primer for Employers.”
Book provides strategies for smart decarceration of prisons
With an era of decarceration of America’s penal system quickly approaching, a Washington University in St. Louis expert and co-editor of a new book offers concrete strategies for ushering in a metamorphosis of the criminal justice system.
CSD research informs California’s new college savings grant program
The ScholarShare Investment Board, which oversees California’s 529 college savings plan, will administer the program. Margaret Clancy, policy director at the Center for Social Development, serves on ScholarShare’s Matching Grant Program Advisory Committee.
CSD hosts CFPB financial education and tax-time savings events
With the Center for Social Development as a partner, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau held two events in June at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.
Missouri treasurer and staff speak at Child Development Account Forum
Newly elected Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt kicked off the June 20 Child Development Account Forum by saying his office is “very focused” on the Missouri MOST 529 College Savings Plan.
Study: Societal savings from fewer missed housing payments offset some ACA costs
Low-income people who gain health insurance are much more likely to make their rent and mortgage payments, according to a new Washington University study of families living near the poverty line.
Policy conference focuses on successes, solutions
More than 100 people from various parts of the country attended the Influencing Social Policy Policy Conference 2.0, Successes and Solutions: Policies that Work, in June at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.
Check out photos from ISP’s Policy Conference 2.0
Influencing Social Policy’s Policy Conference 2.0 is in full swing at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work from June 1-3.
Chowa leads new global research center at UNC at Chapel Hill
Gina Chowa, Center for Social Development faculty director for Global Asset Building, is director of the new Global Social Development Innovations Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Smart decarceration can help shrink sprawling American prison system
The United States is the world’s leader in incarceration, spending $52 billion a year on correctional supervision and another $948 billion in related social costs.
Financial Capability Month
The webinar, on April 25, was hosted by the Center for Social Development and the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in collaboration with the Council on Social Work Education.
Matthew Desmond: Eviction leaves ‘deep and jagged scar’ on families
The conference, “Evicted: Poverty & Fair Housing in St. Louis,” drew more than 250 people to Washington University in St. Louis’ Brown School for Desmond’s keynote address and two panels: “St. Louis Eviction Stories” and “Solutions and Next Stops.”
Update: Financial Capability Month
Financial Capability and Asset Building for All is one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work and a growing practice in the social work profession. The Center for Social Development is committed to working with its partners to increase the financial capability of individuals, families, and communities across the globe!
Grinstein-Weiss speaks at large Israel conference about policy
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, associate director of the Center for Social Development, was a speaker in Tel Aviv at the conference “Making Finance Great Again,” which explored how the Trump administration may affect Israel and the global economy in finance, health care and more.
From the Grand Challenges for Social Work: Innovations in social policy
Social Work Month may be ending, but social work’s professional commitment to addressing society’s challenges continues in earnest! Today the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative is sharing insights on moving ideas and evidence into policy, including policy strategies and actions to address critical national problems.
Study: Interventions can help families better save tax refunds
Motivational prompts to save tax refunds and suggested savings amounts for the tax refund can increase saving among low- and moderate-income households, finds a new experimental study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
SEMO students learn about Grand Challenges for Social Work
Grier and Johnson presented an overview of the Grand Challenges and expanded on two Grand Challenges: “Promote smart decarceration,” and “Build financial capability and assets for all.”
Singapore starts FCAB project to train social workers
Springing from work at the Center for Social Development, a Financial Capability and Asset Building initiative is underway in Singapore. Soon social workers there will develop knowledge and skills for working with low-income families on their household finances.
Brown School alumna named finalist for Singaporean of the Year
Sudha Nair, PhD, was recently named a finalist for Singaporean of the Year 2016 in recognition of her powerful impact as a social worker focused on family violence. Nair, among Brown School Distinguished Alumni (MSW ’91), was also awarded the title of Her World Woman of the Year in August 2016.
Journals turn attention to financial capability, asset building
Recent proposals to change the scope of federal consumer protections bring to the fore a broader discussion about financial inclusion. Now three leading journals are heightening awareness of a national effort to reintroduce to social work a curriculum focused on building financial capability for all Americans.
Summit aims to better lives for 60,000 black males in St. Louis area
The HomeGrown STL Inaugural Summit, February 9 at the Brown School, drew about 120 people committed to improving the lives of black boys and young men in St. Louis City and County.
Brief: Parents’ assets do not harm aid for most low-income students
Parents’ savings and assets are unlikely to jeopardize federal or state need-based aid for low- and moderate-income dependent college students, according to a new policy brief from the Center for Social Development.
Study: Tax-return delay could hurt low-income families
Millions of low- and moderate-income Americans who claim certain tax credits will have to wait weeks longer than usual this year for their federal income tax refunds because of a new law aimed at reducing fraud.
Home delinquency rates lower among ACA households
Families who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act are significantly more likely to make their rent and mortgage payments than are those who remain uninsured, suggests a new study from the Brown School and Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Journal features special section on FCAB
The Journal of Social Work Education has posted its January issue with a special section on Financial Capability and Asset Building. The papers originated as part of the Center for Social Development’s 2015 FCAB conference Financial Capability and Asset Building: Advancing Education, Research, and Practice in Social Work.
Purnell named ‘Person of the Year’ by St. Louis American
Jason Q. Purnell, assistant professor in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and project director of For the Sake of All, the groundbreaking initiative on the health and well-being of African-Americans in St. Louis, was named the 2016 “Person of the Year” by The St. Louis American.
Grinstein-Weiss discusses new CDA program with Israeli media
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, associate director of the Center for Social Development, spent part of December with Israel’s leading media providing insight on the country’s new law creating Child Development Accounts, the Savings for Every Child law.
Symposium highlights social justice aspects of climate change
More than 130 people attended the international symposium “People and Climate Change: Vulnerability, Adaptation, Social Justice” on November 18 at the Brown School.
CSD research informs New York City’s new child savings accounts
The mayor of New York has announced a new child savings account to help thousands of New York City public school children save for college. City officials relied on research from the Center for Social Development to develop the three-year pilot program, which starts next fall.
Elouise Cobell receives Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Barack Obama awarded Elouise Cobell, an advocate for Native American financial independence, the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
Event focuses on mental health of college students of color
More than 200 mental health practitioners, scholars, university administrators, parents, students and community leaders gathered for the conference “Young, Gifted & @Risk: Promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color” on November 11 at the Brown School of Social Work.
South African researcher visits CSD
A researcher from CSD’s sister center in South Africa met with CSD staff members recently. Jacqueline Moodley is a research psychologist and researcher at the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg.
‘People and Climate Change’ registration closing soon
International experts on flooding, drought, extreme heat, land change and more will gather for a symposium on Friday, November 18, at the Brown School of Social Work.
Workshop focuses on tools for clients’ financial well-being
A program specialist from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a senior consultant from ICF helped to lead a recent professional development workshop at the Brown School, “Behind on Bills: Tools to Help Your Clients Secure Greater Financial Well-Being.”
Special issue focuses on financial capability, asset building
“Financial capability and asset building” is the theme of the 60th anniversary issue of Social Work. Articles by several researchers at the Center for Social Development were published in the October 2016 issue of the flagship journal of the National Association of Social Workers.
CSD hosts seminar for visitors from South Korea
The Center for Social Development hosted a seminar this month for social workers and others from South Korea, part of a larger training program focused on developing financial capability for Korean youth.
Bonn meeting focuses on building community resilience
Benjamin Lough, PhD, faculty director of International Service for the Center for Social Development, presented at the Conference for International Volunteer Cooperation Organizations this month at the United Nations Campus in Bonn, Germany.
Post-Dispatch features ‘Grand Challenges’ questions on debate day
To contribute to public discourse on how to make the United States more equitable, safe and livable for everyone, Michael Sherraden and Richard P. Barth submitted the opinion piece “12 questions for the presidential debate” to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Brown School scholars discuss lifelong asset building
Social Security provides an important base of income, and without it about 50 percent of America’s elderly would live in poverty, said David Certner, legislative counsel and legislative policy director for government affairs at AARP.
Based on Grand Challenges, 12 questions for the candidates
The American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare has developed a list of 12 questions for candidates for president, Congress, and state and local offices. The questions stem from work at the Grand Challenges policy conference, September 15-16, which drew more than 250 experts, advocates, and leading academics from all over the United States.
How student debt increases odds of financial struggle
Students who come out of college with debt — especially larger amounts — are more likely to face hardship and financial difficulty during their lives, finds a new study from the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.
Available now: Grand Challenges conference photos
Our photo album from the September 2016 “Social Innovation for America’s Renewal” features more than 130 pictures. If you or your organization would like to use a some to promote the Grand Challenges, you may download them.
Sen. McCaskill welcomes Grand Challenges conference participants
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) sent a video to welcome and encourage the more than 250 attendees of the Grand Challenges for Social Work policy conference, “Social Innovation for America’s Renewal,” September 14-16 at the Brown School of Social Work.
Conference takes on nation’s ‘Grand Challenges’
More than 250 experts, advocates, and leading academics from all over the United States converged this week on the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis to outline a comprehensive range of solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing the nation and the next administration.
Conference to focus on ‘12 Grand Challenges’ for America
National experts, advocates and leading academics will gather at Washington University in St. Louis on Sept. 14-16 as part of a policy conference designed to hammer out constructive solutions to pressing social issues facing the country and the next administration.
CSD receives College Kids Ambassador Award
On August 18, the Center for Social Development received the College Kids Ambassador Award from the St. Louis Treasurer’s Office of Financial Empowerment.
CSD, MO treasurer host ‘Child Development Account Forum’
More than 60 people from 10 states and the District of Columbia participated in the “Child Development Account Forum” on August 16 at the Brown School.
IDA program to assist Ferguson-area families
United Way of Greater St. Louis and Emerson are creating an Individual Development Account program for families in north St. Louis County, United Way announced June 28. The program is part of an effort to improve the financial stability of low-income families in the St. Louis region.