Asset Building Program: Latest Articles

Turn America into a Nation of Savers

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:26:00 -0500

In pursuit of an economic recovery, President Obama has argued that we must transition from an "era of borrow-and-spend to one where we save and invest." It is an appealing concept, especially as the disappearance of surplus assets and historic levels of debt helped transform a garden-variety business cycle recession into a historic collapse.

But how does the saving and investing square with high levels of government borrowing and spending to stimulate the economy, protect those thrown out of work, and prop up consumer demand?

How Microloans Change the Lives of Millions

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:30:00 -0400

A recent op-ed in the Boston Globe argues that microlending "doesn't actually do much to fight poverty" and that it may be time to "think macro rather than micro." Maybe the hype surrounding microcredit as a panacea for everything from poverty to discrimination is undeserved. But debunking the whole bottom-up, micro approach on the basis of two unpublished papers is not just premature, but dangerous. Macro, trickle-down development policies have rather effectively kept billions of people poor

We Need to Fix How We Measure Poverty

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:19:00 -0400

From climate change to redistricting, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have teamed up on a number of issues. It's time to add another to the list -- updating the antiquated and misleading way we measure poverty.

It may seem like an odd concern for the Republican duo. But Bloomberg took the lead on the issue last year when conditions in New York City were similar to those California faces today: The economy was down; need was rising; and public resources were constrained.

After Oppenheimer: Improving College Savings Plans

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:19:00 -0400

After their children's college savings accounts lost 38 percent of their value last year, some Illinois parents might be seeing some justice soon. The Illinois Treasurer's office recently reached a tentative deal with Oppenheimer funds to recover $77 million of the $85 million in losses.

Self-Sufficiency Stalled

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:57:00 -0400

Given the demonstrated link between transportation and employment, wouldn’t it be counterproductive to force families to surrender or downgrade their car in order to be eligible for assistance?

This recession marks the first time since welfare reform that policymakers are revisiting the social safety net.

Yet when thousands of families are struggling to find and keep employment, some on Beacon Hill threatened to cut the one tool proven effective in moving families from welfare to work: a car.