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Research on Asset Development

Vehicle Asset Limits and License Suspensions: Disproportionate Impact on Low-Income Communities and Communities of Color (October, 2016)
Victoria Palacio
Having access to a personal vehicle is an essential part of life in the United States. Since many cities do not have fully developed public transportation systems, simple tasks such as going to the bank, grocery store, or picking up and dropping off children can be difficult. Furthermore, the lack of a car or a valid driver's license limits the distance people can go to search for a job, hinders their ability to work certain shifts, and reduces the types of jobs for which people qualify. Having access to a personal vehicle increases workers’ retention rates and improves welfare participants’ chances of transitioning off of welfare and into full employment.  

Eliminating Asset Limits: Creating Savings for Families and State Governments (October, 2016 )
Jessica Gehr
Historically, most work support porgrams have had asset tests, which deny eligibility to applicants and recipients with more than modest amounts of resources including cash, vehicles, or other property. These limits were intended to ensure that only truly needy families, without significant savings or other assets, received public help. However, such limits run counter to the goals of TANF and SNAP of supporting recipients in work and enabling them to advance economically.

Assets & Opportunity Scorecard?

Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) 

Interactive website and scorecard analyzing and comparing state's data on household financial security and policy solutions.
 

Assessing Income Inequality, Mobility, and Opportunity

 

Scott Winship's testimony to the US Senate Budget Committee on February 9, 2012
 
 
Isabel Sawhill, The Brookings Institution
The question addressed in this brief is whether rising inequality affects mobility. The author answers that at current levels of inequality in the U.S., it likely does. However, the answer is qualified by a lack of sufficient data and rising income inequality partly caused by changes in education and in family structures. The author contends that a combination of government policies and changes in behavior that will improve education, reward work, and strengthen families, while also maintaining a basic safety net for those at the bottom, is needed.
 
 
Trina Shanks, Anne Price, Meizhu Lui and Victor Corral, Insight Center for Community Economic Development
Children of color are four times more likely than white children to be born into the most economically fragile households. A poor start affects long-term well-being, making it difficult for children of color to catch up to their white counterparts and do as well in adulthood. Helping economically vulnerable households of color to build wealth and accumulate assets is a clear way to positively impact child well-being.