A new analysis by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis examines enrollment and participation trends in a newly implemented national Israeli child development account (CDA) policy, finding that 65 percent of households actively enrolled in the program during the first six months.
“Israel’s implementation of a robust, universal CDA program represents a unique opportunity to explore initial enrollment trends in a universal CDA program and examine how household engagement with the Saving for Every Child Program(SECP) during the first six months of its implementation varies across key demographic and financial characteristics of participating households,” said Michal Grinstein-Weiss, the Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor at the Brown School. She is lead author of a new study, “Enrollment and Participation in a Universal Child Savings Program: Evidence From the Rollout of Israel’s National Program,” published in the journal Children and Youth Services Review.
Israel launched the program in early 2017, automatically covering every child under the age of 18. Each month, the Israeli government deposits NIS 50 (Israeli New Shekels), or around $14, into every child’s account.CDA programs aim to advance long-term savings and asset-building for children and improve their economic outcomes in adulthood, and Israel’s CDA program is the first universal CDA program in the world.
Children’s parents can actively participate in the program by deciding to transfer an additional NIS 50 from a separate child allowance program into the SECP accounts and choosing a specific investment vehicle for the SECP deposits.
Using administrative population-level data on all SECP-eligible children provided by the government agency that administers the program, Grinstein-Weiss and her co-authors found that 65 percent of Israeli households actively enrolled in the program during the first six months since the SECP inception.
Of these households, 65 percent also deposited an additional NIS 50 into their accounts and 60 percent selected an investment fund rather than a savings account. Therefore, many Israeli households were participating in the SECP in ways that were expected to promote their long-term asset growth.
“However, as can be expected, we also observe key differences in program enrollment and participation behaviors between demographic groups, with low-income, less-educated, less-employed, and ethnic minority households engaging with the program in substantially different ways than less economically vulnerable households,” she said.
“The parents’ education and ethnicity are the strongest predictors of how parents choose to invest for their children, even controlling for income, age, employment, and a wide array of other characteristics,” Grinstein-Weiss said.
Program payouts can be large, but they are dependent on beneficiaries’ and their parents’ choices. It is estimated that if the minimum amount is invested into the low-yield savings account beginning at birth, children can expect to receive around NIS 12,650 at age 18, or enough to cover the first year of undergraduate tuition at an Israeli university; an amount that increases to approximately NIS 61,700 at age 21 if SECP funds are kept in high-yield investment funds and parents deposit an additional NIS 50 from their child allowance, potentially financing a full undergraduate degree.
It is therefore imperative to understand how policymakers can enable households to get the most out of this universal CDA program, Grinstein-Weiss said. The paper concludes by offering a number of recommendations on the program design.
CDA accounts present a promising way to help economically disadvantaged families build long-term wealth and to address the growing issue of wealth inequality. CDAs have been long promoted by Washington University researchers through the leadership of Michael Sherraden, the George Warren Brown University Professor.
Co-authors on the study are Olga Kondratjeva, postdoctoral research associate at the Social Policy Institute at Washington University; Stephen Roll, research assistant professor at the Social Policy Institute at Washington University; Sam Bufe, statistical data analyst at the Social Policy Institute at Washington University; and Ofir Pinto, Netanela Barkali, and Daniel Gottlieb of the National Insurance Institute of Israel.
More than 225 people from various parts of the country gathered at the Brown School for the Collaboration on Race, Inequality, and Social Mobility in America’s inaugural conference March 28-29.
The event, entitled “Race at the Forefront: Sharpening a Focus on Race in Applied Research,” brought together scholars who are working toward the elimination of racial inequalities in social, economic and health outcomes. Darrell Hudson, who is an associate professor at the Brown School and co-director of the Collaboration on Race, Inequality, and Social Mobility in America (CRISMA), spelled out these goals:
- To frame a contemporary, interdisciplinary research agenda that addresses social, economic and health equity by placing race at the forefront;
- to sustain this agenda by establishing a long-term working group and linking researchers and funders;
- and to disseminate research findings that can have an impact on practices and policies.
Angela Glover Blackwell, who is the founder in residence of PolicyLink, delivered a rousing speech to welcome participants.
“Achieving equity requires that you focus on the most vulnerable,” she said. “You have to ask who is most vulnerable, who is being left behind. … A lot of people think that you’re going to neglect others if you start there. Well, just think about it this way: If we had understood the crack epidemic, we would not be caught flat-footed with the opiate epidemic, right?”
“You just have to know that starting with the most vulnerable benefits everybody. I call it the ‘curb-cut effect.’ Those curb cuts in the sidewalk that are there because of advocacy of people with disabilities. People in wheelchairs with disabilities. That’s why they’re there. And yet how many times have you been pushing a stroller and been so happy you didn’t have to pick up that contraption to go sidewalk to sidewalk? How many times have people doing work, pulling wagons, pushing carts, … made their burden lightened because of those curb cuts? They even save lives because nine out of 10 unencumbered adults cross the street at the corner because of the curb cuts.
“If you solve problems with specificity and nuance for the most vulnerable, you solve them for everybody.”
The conference featured numerous panels packed with experts: Race at the Forefront in Health and Well-being; Race at the Forefront in Education; Race at the Forefront: Measurement and Methodology Innovations. The second day, which wrapped up after noon, featured a speech by Bonnie Duran, a professor in social work and public health at the University of Washington and a team member of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. She spoke about “Community-Based Participatory Research: A Grounding for Action and Social Change.” The morning also featured a panel about funding for research.
CRISMA, based within the Brown School’s Center for Social Development (CSD), has three co-directors: Hudson and associate professors David A. Patterson Silver Wolf and Sheretta Butler-Barnes. Butler-Barnes closed the conference.
“We need to use different methodologies to understand our most vulnerable communities, or we are going to be here 30 to 50 years later having the same conversation,” she said.
“Be persistent. Be a change agent. Be inspired. Collaborate with community members and partners who are doing your work. Value and respect each other’s voices. And always ask who is included and who is not. And pay it forward.”
CSD organized the conference with support from the Ford Foundation, Grand Challenges for Social Work, and these Washington University in St. Louis partners: Brown School, Institute for Public Health, Office of the Provost, Clark-Fox Policy Institute, Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Institutional Diversity, and the Sociology Department.
You may view a collection of photos from the conference here.
In 2007, the Brown School launched Impact 2020, a strategic plan to achieve the “next big leap” for the Brown School.
Since that time, in accordance with six select initiatives, the School has developed a master’s and PhD program in public health; launched a dual degree in social policy and the Clark-Fox Policy Institute; increased student scholarships and completed Hillman Hall; cultivated new transdisciplinary collaborations, including social entrepreneurship; and fostered community partnerships in our city and region.
Now, the Brown School is undergoing a process to develop the next blueprint to help the Brown School advance social work, public health and social policy education and impact.
“The School has accomplished so much in recent years—expanded programs and buildings, a flourishing student body and research portfolio, but we know that there is still so much more to be done,” said Mary McKay, Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School. “It’s an exciting time to envision what’s next for this institution, and we are grateful for the input and support of our stakeholders as we go through this process.”
Regardless of age or professional accomplishment, wherever there are people, there is conflict. Siblings must figure out who gets the last piece of candy. Spouses negotiate a compromise for their next family vacation. Friends, neighbors, or colleagues often find themselves with differing needs, perspectives, or opinions.
The latest post-master’s certificate from the Brown School, Mediation and Conflict Resolution, will teach techniques to navigate conflict in a variety of situations. Participating professionals will learn to engage in and facilitate a range of dispute resolution sessions, from problem-solving meetings to more formal mediations. Classes will be held in late May and early June, 2019.
“Anytime there is a ‘rub’ between you and another person because you both want a limited resource or you want different things, conflict happens,” said CJ Larkin, visiting associate professor of the practice of law, University of Denver and the lead course instructor. “Mediation is an ideal process for times when the parties want to settle their disagreement or improve their situation, but need a facilitator to help them negotiate effectively and fairly.”
Larkin, who has previously served as executive director for two nonprofit agencies, developed an early interest in mediation and often settled disputes between her siblings. In her professional life, she has trained lawyers, social workers, and others in conflict resolution; she has also personally mediated disputes in a variety of situations. She has supervised over 300 law students as mediators through a law school clinic setting.
“Conflict resolution skills are beneficial within a wide range of professions and at almost any point of in one’s career path,” she noted. Larkin has trained people in helping professions, management, and team leadership in both non-profit and government positions. She stresses that these skills are applicable in both personal and professional settings. Application to the post-master’s certificate is open to anyone with a master’s degree from an accredited program.
The course will meet over two (2) three-day sequences, Thursday to Saturday, May 30 – June 1 and June 6 -8, 2019; 45 social work CEUs are available. For more information and to apply, visit the website. The application deadline is April 26, 2019.
Michael Sherraden, the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor; Margaret Sherraden, research professor; and Jin Huang, research associate professor, all at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, will headline the conference “Innovation and Evaluation for Anti-Poverty Initiatives” April 11 and 12 at National Taiwan University.
Conference attendees will exchange strategies for improving the newly enacted child development accounts in Taiwan, named Savings Accounts for the Education and Development of Children and Teenagers, and will share the latest research on anti-poverty initiatives.
The conference organizer is the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare and the co-organizer is the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University.
The Joseph H. and Florence A. Roblee Foundation was presented with the 2019 Betty Bofinger and George Warren Brown Award on April 3, 2019 at the Brown School Awards of Distinction ceremony.
The Betty Bofinger and George Warren Brown Award is presented to foundations and corporations who by financial generosity and collaborative partnership support the students, faculty and staff of the Brown School. The award is named to honor the first key external partners of the Brown School, Betty Bofinger and George Warren Brown. The Browns made two philanthropic contributions that provided the Brown School with critical support at significant points in the Brown School’s history. Betty and George were committed to bettering the lives of people in St. Louis through volunteerism and philanthropy and exemplify the values of the Brown School today.
Louise Roblee McCarthy, who was a cousin of George Warren Brown, started the Roblee Foundation in 1971 to continue her life’s philanthropic work, and she named the organization in honor of her parents. She believed in democracy and in the value of exchanging ideas, and listening to — and respecting — one another. She was an active supporter of educational endeavors, from her service with The League of Women Voters, to her support of schools ranging from Vassar College, (her alma matter, class of 1912), to the Community School in St. Louis, to the work of the Worldwide YWCA.
The foundation continues to honoring McCarthy’s legacy by placing particular emphasis on programs that work to break down cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual barriers. Currently, the Foundation awards approximately $800,000 annually, primarily in the St. Louis area. With an eye towards increasing impact, the Foundation adopts a special initiative area every five to 10 years, including the current initiative area of human trafficking and the prior area of LGBTQ youth.
“My mother was a person who was always looking for new and creative ways of solving problems,” said Carol McCarthy Duhme, the founder’s daughter, who is one of the 11 board members of the foundation and a trustee.
In addition to helping solve problems, McCarthy wanted the foundation to help family members appreciate responsible philanthropy. “She had two purposes: to instill the joy of giving money away and to give money away responsibly,” Duhme explained. “You really have to have a plan.” Recognizing the importance of scholarly research and training highly skilled social work professionals, the foundation has a longstanding relationship with the Brown School. Its current support of Washington University includes a dual-degree program with Eden Theological Seminary, research to develop strategies to address human trafficking in Missouri, work to develop a framework for child development accounts in the state, and scholarships for Master of Social Work students.