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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > Faculty Experts at Washington University in St. Louis >

Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development
Expertise: IDAs, asset-building, community and family development, productive aging, social and economic development, welfare reform
Bio:
Sherraden, a leader in asset building and community development research, has received widespread recognition for his impact on public policy. He is the creator of the Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), a matched savings program designed to help working poor people save money and accumulate assets. IDAs have been adopted in federal legislation and in more than 40 states. Sherraden's work on assets has also influenced policy development in the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Canada and other countries around the world. He is also engaged in research and policy on civic engagement and productive aging.
Sherraden has served as an adviser and consultant to the White House, Department of Treasury Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Health and Human Services, Carnegie Council and many other organizations. His work has been funded by many foundations and government agencies, including the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, German Marshall Fund of the United States, and the National Science Foundation.
At the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Sherraden is the director and founder of the Center for Social Development.
WUSTL Contact Information:
| Work: | (314) 935-6691 |
| Fax: | (314) 935-8511 |
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| E-mail: | sherrad@wustl.edu |
| Address: | One Brookings Drive Campus Box 1196 St. Louis, MO 63130
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Education:
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A.B. in Social Relations at Harvard University
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M.S.W. in Social Welfare Administration and Organizational Behavior at University of Michigan
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Ph.D. in Social Welfare Administration and Organizational Behavior at University of Michigan

| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing 4 Stories.
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College Savings Initiative aims to advance college success for all families
 The New America Foundation and Washington University in St. Louis will examine innovative ways to create more inclusive 529 college savings plans

May 21,
2009 --
The New America Foundation and Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis announce a new College Savings Initiative to examine and improve 529 college savings plans so more people have the opportunity to attend and complete college. "Saving money is not easy, but research shows many people can save when they have incentives and a way to do so. More low-income families may save with well-designed 529s and incentives," said Margaret Clancy, Policy Director at CSD. "We will study 529 innovations to see which ones are effective. This will inform 529 policy so that it can benefit families of all income levels."

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More than 1,000 Okla. babies receive $1,000 for college savings
 Okla. State Treasurer and Washington University in St. Louis partner through new study on children's savings accounts

June 3,
2008 -- More than 1,000 Oklahoma babies are receiving a $1,000 jumpstart on saving for college thanks to SEED for Oklahoma Kids (SEED OK), a seven-year study designed to determine the economic and educational impact of "seeding" a college savings account for children at birth. SEED OK, announced June 3 by Governor Brad Henry and State Treasurer Scott Meacham, is a collaboration between the Oklahoma State Treasurer and the Center for Social Development (CSD) at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Asset building is the key
 Ford Foundation grant helps the Center for Social Development invest in the poor

Nov. 28,
2005 -- At the Center for Social Development (CSD) in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Michael Sherraden, Ph.D., and his faculty colleagues, staff, and graduate students are dedicating themselves to addressing the root causes of poverty and finding solutions. To this end, CSD has found a partner in the Ford Foundation, a philanthropic organization whose goals include asset building to create better societies.

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Poverty plays a role
 High rate of depression found in African-American women at risk for type 2 diabetes

Dec. 19,
2003 --
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| Photo by David Kilper/WUSTL Photo |
| Wendy F. Auslander, Ph.D. (left), works with St. Louis-area peer counselors in the "Eat Well, Live Well" program she pioneered with colleagues at the School of Medicine. |
As the cases of type 2 diabetes in African-American women increase at an epidemic rate, researchers are examining risk factors involved with this disease in order to create programs that will hopefully slow this growing problem. According to a recent study at the George Warren Brown (GWB) School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, African-American women at risk for type 2 diabetes experience long periods of depression due, in part, to a lack of economic and social resources. "At the beginning of our study, 40 percent of our sample of African-American women at risk for type 2 diabetes reported clinically significant depression," says Wendy Auslander, Ph.D., professor at GWB and co-author of the study. "Unlike their nondepressed peers, these women reported fewer economic assets and greater economic distress. Issues such as unemployment, low self-esteem and a low appraisal of their economic situation contributed to their depression."

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Social workers to teach money management
CNN.com
and 1 others

Nov. 17,
2008 -- In the contemporary era of rampant foreclosures, credit card debt, and ever-evolving scams that prey on the economically vulnerable, few social work schools offer specialized financial training to their students, but change is under way. WUSTL social work professor Michael Sherraden devised the concept of Individual Development Accounts, which helps low-income families build assets to reach long-term goals.

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Social workers boosting expertise on money woes
Associated Press
and 123 others

Nov. 10,
2008 -- Against the backdrop of the economic meltdown, a movement is building within the ranks of America's social workers to make their profession more adept at helping clients overcome financial woes. WUSTL social work professor pioneered the concept of Individual Development Accounts, which help low-income families build assets to reach long-term goals such buying a home.

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Financial literacy leads to positive change
Chicago Tribune

Aug. 5,
2008 -- Asset Builders CDC executive director Cecilia Salinas responds to critics of the benefits of financial literacy saying, "We have learned education does make a difference in changing behavior and establishing savings habits."
"Nationally a recent report by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis noted positive changes in financial behavior resulting from participation in the IDA program and financial education classes."

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