CSD Research, Expertise Showcased at SSWR 2025

The 29th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) featured the work of 41 affiliates of the Center for Social Development (CSD) across 72 events. Faculty, staff, and associated researchers contributed to 11 symposia, three roundtables, 16 oral presentations, five flash talks, and 30 poster presentations. They convened five Special Interest […]

Sherraden honored with distinguished career award

The award recognizes a career of applied research innovations, major contributions to social work knowledge. On Saturday, January 14, 2023, the Society for Social Work and Research honored Michael Sherraden with the 2023 Distinguished Career Achievement Award. Sherraden is the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Codirector of the […]

Nothing to show for it: Distress among non-degree earners with debt

Press release: May 11, 2022 According to a study by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, the convergence of college non-completion and student debt among borrowers lead to higher rates of material hardship, healthcare hardship, and financial difficulties than those with a high school degree, those with a college degree, and […]

SPI researchers win awards for paper at ACCI Conference & VentureCafe STL Fellowship

Stephen Roll and Mathieu Despard, researchers at SPI, recently received the CFP© Board’s ACCI Financial Planning Paper Award for their paper on income loss and financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The award is given to a well-written paper that focuses on important financial planning issues which can be used by consumers, financial planning professionals, and policymakers […]

As nation struggles, conference sets sights on equity and financial inclusion

From across a nation struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic and a generally difficult year, over 150 scholars and practitioners gathered virtually on September 21 for “FCAB Policies: Race and Inequality in the COVID-19 Era,” Part 1 of the two-part convening “Financial Capability and Asset Building: Achievements, Challenges, and Next Steps.” They gathered to set an […]

Zeng, Despard and Fox-Dichter receive award from National Endowment for Financial Education

In May, the National Endowment for Financial Education honored CSD Research Associate Yingying Zeng with an award for “Workplace Financial Counseling: Credit Outcomes Among Lower-Paid, Entry-Level Workers,” a paper she wrote with Mathieu Despard and Sophia Fox-Dichter. Zeng has been working on financial well-being issues since she came to the United States in 2015. As […]