Principal Investigators:
Signe-Mary McKernan and Michael Sherraden
The Urban Institute
September 2007
This project is available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/PoorFinances/
How to obtain printed copies of reports
Overview
Poor Finances is a series of reports on poverty, asset building, and
social policy. The purpose of the series is to assess the nascent state of
knowledge and policy development and to synthesize recent progress in these
areas. America has a longstanding history of promoting ownership, and new
opportunities for people to save will likely increase the number of individuals
and families able to build assets and improve the economic security of all
Americans. Greater inclusivity and accessibility of traditional approaches
to expanding ownership may make it easier for lower and middle income families
to save. While the focus of this series of reports is on asset accumulation
and asset-based policies for low-income individuals and families, the conceptual
frameworks developed are not limited to low-income populations. This broad
approach helps to identify the overall critical issues that relate to asset
holding for all populations.
Introduction to the Series
Available Reports in the Series:
-
The Effects of Welfare and IDA Program Rules
on the Asset Holdings of Low-Income Families, September 2007.
This report examines the effects of a comprehensive set of 13 welfare, food
stamp, individual development account (IDA), earned income tax credit (EITC),
and minimum wage program rules on the asset holdings of low-education, single
mothers and families. (Low-education was used as a proxy for low-income,
to address fluctuations in income over time.) More specifically, this original
analysis of extant data examines the effects of varying asset limits across
state TANF programs, treatment of different types of assets, and state efforts
to encourage asset accumulation among TANF recipients.
-
Assessing Asset Data on Low-Income Households:
Current Availability and Options for Improvement, September 2007.
This report identifies three data sets as the most reliable and informative
data sources for understanding low-income households' assets and
liabilities: the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), the Survey of Income
and Program Participation (SIPP), and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics
(PSID). The report also details the limitations of these data sets and provides
options for improving asset data sources and collection methods. In doing
so, the report provides a framework for refining the primary sources of data
necessary to pursuing future research in the assets field.
-
The Balance Sheets of Low-Income Households:
What We Know about Their Assets and Liabilities, November 2007.
This report synthesizes current research and other available information
on the assets and liabilities of low-income households into a variety of
portraits. These data allow practitioners and researchers to begin to form
a comprehensive representation of the balance sheets of low-income households
and sets the stage for future research and policy discussion around the finances
of low-income households.
-
Determinants of Asset Building,
March 2008.
This report provides a policy-oriented conceptual framework that has the
potential to explain saving and asset accumulation across the entire population
and to account for the low levels of saving and asset accumulation in the
low-income population. The report also reviews empirical evidence that supports
or challenges this framework.
To obtain a printed copy of any of the above reports, send the title and
your mailing information to:
Human Services Policy, Room 404E
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20201
Fax: (202) 690-6562
You may also just print the PDF version.
Where to?
Top of Page
Home Pages:
Human Services Policy
(HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
(ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS)
Last updated: 04/07/2008