The Assets Perspective The Rise of Asset Building and its Impact on Social Policy

by Cramer, Reid; Shanks, Trina R. Williams

• ISBN13: 9781137388278
• ISBN10: 1137388277
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-03-06
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The Assets Perspective presents a multi-dimensional exploration of the rise of asset building as a new social policy framework. By focusing on long-term economic health outcomes rather than short-term income or poverty, this book offers a valuable lens for thinking about social policy - pointing to opportunities for policy interventions designed to assist families in building their asset base. Topics covered include the evolution of public assistance programs, the racial wealth gap, impact of the Great Recession, the challenge of affordable homeownership, the history of financial services, and the potential of policy reform. With contributions from leading scholars, the book considers how the assets perspective has impacted the manner in which social policy is conceived, designed, and delivered.

Author Biography

Reid Cramer is the Director of the Asset Building Program at the New America Foundation. He holds a PhD in public policy from the University of Texas at Austin, USA, and a master's degree in city and regional planning from the Pratt Institute.
 
Trina R. Williams Shanks is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, USA. She completed her PhD in social work from Washington University in St. Louis and is a faculty associate with its Center for Social Development.

Table of Contents

1. The Rise of Asset Building and its Impact on Social Policy; Reid Cramer and Trina R. Williams Shanks
2. Transformation of Anti-Poverty Policies and Programs; Trina R. Williams Shanks
3. The Finances of Typical Households after the Great Recession; Clinton Key
4. Financial Fracking in the Land of the Fee, 1980-2008; Devin Fergus
5. The Widening Racial Wealth Gap: Why Wealth is Not Color Blind; Thomas Shapiro, Tatjana Meschede, and Sam Osoro
6. The Promises and Pitfalls of Homeownership; Carolina Reid
7. Setting the Record Straight on Affordable Homeownership; Allison Freeman and Janneke Ratcliffe
8. A Behavioral Economics Perspective on Innovations in Savings Programs; Piyush Tantia, Shannon White, and Josh Wright
9. Solving the Paradox of High College Expectations: The Role of Children's Savings Accounts; William Elliott III
10. Extending Savings Accounts to Young People: Lessons from Two Decades of Asset Building; Terri Friedline
11. Making Tax Time the Financial Management Moment; David Rothstein and Rachel Black
12. Foundations of an Asset-Based Social Policy Agenda; Reid Cramer
13. Asset Building Research and Policy: Pathways, Progress, and Potential of a Social Innovation; Michael Sherraden