Approximately 60 million American children living in 35 million households received monthly payments from the federal government as part of the temporary Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion. Discourse over whether or not the expanded CTC caused parents to leave the workforce emerged during the period of the expanded credit. On one side, a large number […]
Tag: 2021
Social Responses to a Changing Environment
Mason, L. R., Kemp, S. P., Palinkas, L. A., & Krings, A. (2021). Social responses to a changing environment. In C. Franklin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social work. National Association of Social Workers & Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1431
Smart Decarceration
Pettus, C. (2021). Smart decarceration. In C. Franklin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social work. National Association of Social Workers & Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1295
Where to for Climate Justice and Social Work Advocacy? Connect, Dialogue, and Multisolve
Mason, L. R. (2021). Where to for climate justice and social work advocacy? Connect, dialogue, and multisolve. Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 2(4), 258–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42972-021-00038-x
Financial Facts from the SEED for Oklahoma Kids Child Development Account Experiment
Center for Social Development. (2021, December). Financial facts from the SEED OK Child Development Account experiment (CSD Fact Sheet No 21-42). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/b5y6-jg13
Gender-Focused Social Innovation and the Role of International Development Volunteers in Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment
Tiessen, R., Laursen, T., & Lough, B. J. (with Mirza, T.). (2021). Gender-focused social innovation and the role of international development volunteers in promoting women’s economic empowerment. Voluntaris, Special issue, 91–107. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748924951-91
Special Issue | Innovations in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Understanding the Role of International Development Volunteers as Transnational Actors
Tiessen, R., Lough, B. J., Laursen, T., & Sadat, K. (Eds.). (2021). Innovations in gender equality and women’s empowerment: Understanding the role of international development volunteers as transnational actors [Special issue]. Voluntaris.
Introduction: Innovations in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Understanding the Role of International Development Volunteers as Transnational Actors
Tiessen, R., & Lough, B. J. (2021). Introduction: Innovations in gender equality and women’s empowerment: Understanding the role of international development volunteers as transnational actors. Voluntaris, Special issue, 7–43. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748924951-7
Environment and Health in Nigeria: Capacity and Research Development
Ekenga, C. C., Mason, L. R., & Mustapha, A. (2021, December). Environment and health in Nigeria: Capacity and research development (CSD Research Brief No. 21-38). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/ae45-hd66
HomeGrown StL 4th Annual Regional Summit on the State of Opportunities for Black Boys and Young Men: Closing the Health, Growth, and Opportunity Gaps
Joe, S., Clifton, M., & Carlton-Brown, D. (2021, December). HomeGrown StL 4th Annual Regional Summit on the State of Opportunities for Black Boys and Young Men: Closing the healing, growth, and opportunity gaps (CSD Conference Report No. 21-34). Washington University, Center for Social Development, Race & Opportunity Lab, HomeGrownStL. https://doi.org/10.7936/cej1-ds84
Paid Sick Leave Heading Into COVID-19: A Descriptive Account of Workers Who Lacked Paid Sick Leave
Rothwell, D., Fox-Dichter, S., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Paid sick leave heading into COVID-19: A descriptive account of workers who lacked paid sick leave (Social Policy Institute Research Brief). Washington University, Social Policy Institute. https://www.doi.org/10.7936/53ct-2e59
Vaccine Hesitance During COVID-19: Exploring Motivations and Incentives
Brugger, L., Roll, S., Kristensen, K., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Vaccine hesitance during COVID-19: Exploring motivations and incentives (Social Policy Institute Research Brief). Washington University, Social Policy Institute. https://www.doi.org/10.7936/b07b-ks62
Targeted Deposits in Pennsylvania’s Keystone Scholars Child Development Account Program
DeCecco, A., Peachey, J., & Clancy, M. M. (2021, November). Targeted deposits in Pennsylvania’s Keystone Scholars Child Development Account program (CSD Policy Brief No. 21-36). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/5qg9-4191
Activating Inclusive Growth in St. Louis

On Dec. 9, 2021, we learned how to influence policy and collaborate with like-minded people to activate change in our last Inclusive Growth in St. Louis event. After a year of events investigating why economic growth in St. Louis benefits some groups of people more than others and how we can change systems to support […]
Social Development
Lough, B. J. University Press. (2021). Social development. In C. Franklin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social work. National Association of Social Workers & Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.362
CSD releases new tools for educators

As colleges and universities begin the new academic year, educators in social work and other human-service fields have new tools for equipping students with the knowledge needed to guide clients with financial problems.
COVID-19 Among Youth in Israel: Correlates of Decisions to Vaccinate and Reasons for Refusal
The primary aim of the present study is to examine the reasons for adolescents’ refusal to get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, and examine correlates of vaccination among adolescents aged 12–18 years in Israel. A total of 150 youth aged 12–18 years participated in the study. Following parental consent (30% response rate) from an online internet […]
Financial Shocks and Financial Well-Being: What Builds Resiliency in Lower-Income Households?
Households in the U.S. regularly experience unexpected negative income or expense shocks, and low- and moderate-income households experience these shocks at disproportionately high rates. Relatively little is known about the impact these shocks have on households’ subjective sense of financial well-being, and how access to different types of liquidity (e.g., liquid assets, credit cards, social […]
Did government benefits help Israeli households avoid hardship during COVID-19? Evidence from a national survey
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Israel quickly introduced aggressive social distancing measures to curb the virus spread and adapted its unemployment insurance program in response to rising unemployment rates. This study examines the relationship between household income and the experience of material hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel and […]
How Did School Meal Access Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Analysis of a Large Metropolitan Area
Jabbari, J., Chun, Y., Nandan, P., McDermott, L., Frank, T., Moreland-Russell, S., Ferris, D., Roll, S. (2021). How did school meal access change during the COVID-19 pandemic? A two-step floating catchment area analysis of a large metropolitan area. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), Article 11350. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111350
Transforming 529 College Savings Plans: Grow Assets for Everyone, Grow the Country
Sherraden, M., & Clancy, M. M. (2021). Transforming 529 college savings plans: grow assets for everyone, grow the country. In R. Boshara & I. Rademacher (Eds.), The future of building wealth: Brief essays on the best ideas to build wealth—for everyone (pp. 251–257). Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis & Aspen Institute. https://futureofwealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Sec-5.pdf
Human Service Professionals: A Ready Workforce for Financial Capability
Sherraden, M. S., Huang, J., & Jones, J. L. (2021). Human service professionals: A ready workforce for financial capability. In R. Boshara & I. Rademacher (Eds.), The future of building wealth: Brief essays on the best ideas to build wealth—for everyone (pp. 193–199). Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis & Aspen Institute. https://futureofwealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Sec-3.pdf
We Have Clean Water and Clean Air: Why Not Clean Finance, Too? A Vision for Inclusion and Equity
Huang, J., Sherraden, M., & Sherraden, M. S. (2021). We have clean water and clean air: Why not clean finance, too? A vision for inclusion and equity. In R. Boshara & I. Rademacher (Eds.), The future of building wealth: Brief essays on the best ideas to build wealth—for everyone (pp. 83–89). Federal Reserve Bank and Aspen Institute. https://futureofwealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Sec-2.pdf
The Well-Being Development Model: A Theoretical Model to Improve Outcomes among Criminal Justice System–Involved Individuals
Pettus, C., Veeh, C. A., Renn, T. R., & Kennedy, S. C. (2021). The Well-Being Development Model: A theoretical model to improve outcomes among criminal justice system–involved individuals. Social Service Review, 95(2), 413–468. https://doi.org/10.1086/715852
Asset Building: Toward Inclusive Policy
Sherraden, M., Johnson, L., Clancy, M. M., Beverly, S. G., Sherraden, M. S., Schreiner, M., Elliott, W., III, Williams Shanks, T. R., Adams, D., Curley, J., Huang, J., Grinstein-Weiss, M., Nam, Y., Zhan, M., & Han, C. K. (2021, September 29). Asset building: Toward inclusive policy. In C. Franklin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social work. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.25
Employment, Financial and Well-being Effects of the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit: Wave 1 Executive Summary
The 2021 temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is unprecedented in its reach and is predicted to cut American child poverty by more than half. The expanded CTC provides families with $3,600 for every child in the household under the age of six and $3,000 for every child between the ages of six […]
Use of Public Benefits Over the First Year of Pandemic: Exploring Access, Delays, and Outcomes
Bufe, S., Roll, S., Kristensen, K., Zhao, D., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Use of public benefits over the first year of pandemic: Exploring access, delays and outcomes (Social Policy Institute Research Report). Washington University, Social Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.7936/h45c-kc86
Impact of COVID-19 on Households with Children
The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions in employment, child care and education. As a result, both parents and children experienced a variety of hardships in their work and education. While these hardships had reverberating effects throughout households, they were not equally distributed across families with children. In this brief, we explore the effects of COVID-19 […]
Employment Changes During COVID-19
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. unemployment peaked at 14.4%. While some workers have returned to payrolls, others have been left behind. This brief examines the nuances of employment changes over the course of the pandemic and the impact of those changes on household financial well-being. Our study finds that the proportion of employees who […]
Housing Hardships During COVID-19
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. households were burdened by the cost of rental and mortgage payments, burdens which disproportionately fell on Black and Hispanic families. Using a 5-wave survey, we examined whether disparities in housing cost burden continued throughout the pandemic and trends in how households fell behind on rent and mortgage payments. […]
How are families in the U.S. using their Child Tax Credit payments? A 50 state analysis
The temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is projected to cut American child poverty by more than half. The CTC expansion provides families with $3,600 for every child in the household under the age of six and $3,000 for every child between the ages of six and 17. The vast majority of U.S. […]
Embracing Inclusive Leadership

Join us at 12:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 23 for an event discussing strategies to create inclusive leadership.
Serving Students: Increased Free and Reduce-Price School Meal Access in Missouri
Ferris, D., Jabbari, J., Chun, Y., Sandoval, N. (2021). Serving students: Increased free and reduced-price school meal access in Missouri (Policy Brief). Saint Louis University, Prime Center. https://www.primecenter.org/policy-brief-database/srf-meals
The Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Study: Survey Methodology Report
Roll, S., Bufe, S.., Chun, Y., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). The Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Study: Survey methodology report (Social Policy Institute Research Report). Washington University, Social Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.7936/r4cj-5041
International Development Volunteering as Alternative Public Diplomacy
Tiessen, R., & Lough, B. J. (2021). International development volunteering as alternative public diplomacy. In H. Zafarullah & A. S. Huque (Eds.), Handbook of Development Policy (pp 283–293). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781839100871.00032
Pinching pennies or money to burn? The role of grit in financial behaviors
We explore whether gritty individuals are better savers by virtue of their wealth or due to diligent choices that benefit their long-term economic health. We test these competing hypotheses by examining the ways in which grit influences how LMI tax filers report spending or saving their tax refund in the months following tax filing. We […]
Impact of COVID-19 on Households With Children: Family Hardships and Policy Insights
Muñoz-Rivera, A., Jabbari, J., Roll, S., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on households with children: Family hardships and policy insights (Social Policy Institute Research Report). Washington University, Social Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.7936/1m6t-7y41
Housing Hardships During COVID-19: Disparities Increased by Race/Ethnicity and Homeowner Status
Fox-Dichter, S., Chun, Y., Roll, S., Kristensen, K., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Housing hardships during COVID-19: Disparities increased by race/ethnicity and homeowner status (Social Policy Institute Research Report). Washington University, Social Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.7936/52dc-wx52
Leadership for Volunteering: The COVID-19 Experience
Mati, J. M., Allum, C., Perold, H., Lough, B. J., Tiessen R. (2021). Leadership for volunteering: The COVID-19 experience [Report]. International Association for Volunteer Effort International. https://leadership4vol.iave.org/
Timely and Well-Targeted Financial Assistance during Covid-19
The Social Policy Institute (SPI) at Washington University in St. Louis partnered with PerkUp Financial Health LLC, a financial services technology company, to study an emergency financial assistance program offered to employees of three hotels in New Orleans, LA who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. PerkUp serves as a technology hub for a […]
Prominent Child Development Account experts outline a nationwide policy

A group of experts and researchers is making the case for a nationwide Child Development Account (CDA) policy. The group, which includes CSD Founding Director Michael Sherraden and Policy Director Margaret Clancy, recently released the outline in a pair of CDA policy briefs. The briefs are entitled “The Case for a Nationwide Child Development Account […]
The Case for a Nationwide Child Development Account Policy: A Policy Brief Developed by CDA Experts and Researchers
Cisneros, J., Clancy, M. M., Elliott, W., III, Feinstein, A., Kanter, M., Karcher-Ramos, M., Kugler, C., Peachey, J., Quint, C., Shapiro, T. M., & Sherraden, M. (2021, August). The case for a nationwide Child Development Account policy: A policy brief developed by CDA experts and researchers (CSD Policy Brief No. 21-20). Washington University, Center for Social Development.
Redesigning College Savings (529) Plans to Achieve Inclusive Child Development Accounts: A Policy Brief Developed by CDA Experts and Researchers
Cisneros, J., Clancy, M. M., Elliott, W., III, Feinstein, A., Kanter, M., Karcher-Ramos, M., Kugler, C., Peachey, J., Quint, C., Shapiro, T. M., & Sherraden, M. (2021, August). Redesigning college savings (529) plans to achieve inclusive Child Development Accounts: A policy brief developed by CDA experts and researchers (CSD Policy Brief No. 21-21). Washington University, Center for Social Development.
Keeping Each Other Safe: Who Checks on Their Neighbors During Weather Extremes in Summer and Winter?
Mason, L. R., & Ekenga, C. C. (2021). Keeping each other safe: Who checks on their neighbors during weather extremes in summer and winter? Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2021.175
CSD and Partners Launch New Multinational Collaboration in Africa

Mobile phones have become commonplace in sub-Saharan Africa. There, as in other parts of the world, financial technology has proliferated with the expansion of digital access, opening new doors to financial products and services. But this emerging landscape requires financial acumen, and sound guidance can be hard to find.
On July 15, a multinational group of partners gathered virtually to mark the launch of Financial Capability and Asset Building in Africa (FCAB Africa), a new collaboration aimed at meeting these needs.
Brief Report: Health Expenditures for Children with Autism and Family Financial Well-Being in China
Zhou, L., Wang, J., & Huang, J. (2021). Brief report: Health expenditures for children with autism and family financial well-being in China. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05214-2
Reflections of a Central Bank Governor
Addison, E. (2021, July). Reflections of a central bank governor (CSD Perspective No. 21-18). Washington University, Center for Social Development.
FCAB Africa: Advancing Financial Stability, Security, and Well-Being
Center for Social Development. (2021, July). FCAB Africa: Advancing financial stability, security, and well-being (CSD Fact Sheet No. 21-12). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/gmwt-0238
FCAB Africa: Summary of Achievements as of July 2021
Center for Social Development. (2021, July). FCAB Africa: Summary of achievements as of July 2021 (CSD Fact Sheet No. 21-13). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/j5rd-tr36
Asset Building and Child Development: A Policy Model for Inclusive Child Development Accounts
Huang, J., Sherraden, M., Clancy, M. M., Beverly, S. G., Shanks, T. R., & Kim, Y. (2021). Asset building and child development: A policy model for inclusive Child Development Accounts. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 7(3), 176–195. https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2021.7.3.08