The Center for Social Development is broadly engaged in designing and testing social innovations that promote full inclusion, fair treatment, and achievement of one’s full potential. Our research is transdisciplinary and encompasses seven primary areas.

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Research from 2026

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Barriers to Entry, Barriers to Exit: Exploring the Relationship Between Administrative Burdens and Work Disincentives in Public Benefits Programs, Stephen Roll, Guangli Zhang, and Mathieu Despard

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Digital Financial Innovations, Investment Behaviors, and the Financial Well-Being of Low-Wage Workers, Jayden Liu, Stephen Roll, and Mathieu Despard

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Employment Circumstances and Use of Financial Services Among Low-Wage Workers, Anthony Nixon Jr. and Mathieu Despard

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Employment Stability and Security of Low-Wage Workers in the United States, Mathieu Despard, Guangli Zhang, and Stephen Roll

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Examining Patterns in Childcare Utilization for Low-Wage Workers and Their Access to Government and Employer-Based Childcare Supports, Amrita Kulkarni, Laura Brugger, Stephen Roll, Guangli Zhang, and Mathieu Despard

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How Disaster Risk Shapes Voter Turnout, Laura Brugger, Pedro Spindler-Ruiz, and J.S. Onesimo Sandoval

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Workforce Economic Inclusion and Stability in the United States and United Kingdom: Summary Findings, Mathieu Despard, Stephen Roll, Kristian Fuzi, Adele Atkinson, and Louise Overton

Research from 2025

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Asset Building for All, Starting at Birth: Emergence of a Federal Policy and a Key Design Lesson, Michael Sherraden, Margaret M. Clancy, Jin Huang, Ray Boshara, and Lissa Johnson

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A Strategy for Implementing Automatic Enrollment in Trump Accounts, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden, and Lissa Johnson

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Auto-Enrollment, Auto-Escalation, and the Need for Retirement Plan Portability: Implications for SECURE 2.0, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, and Selina Miller

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Beyond Money: Early Asset-Building Policy Supports Mothers, Strengthens Families, and Builds Children’s Futures, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Clancy, and Lissa Johnson

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Buy-Now-Pay-Later and Alternative-Financial-Service Use Among Low-Wage Workers, Somalis Chy, Haotian Zheng, Stephen Roll, and Mathieu Despard

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"Check-the-Box" Enrollment Will Limit Participation in Trump Accounts: Lessons from Asset-Building Research, Jin Huang, Margaret M. Clancy, Stephen Roll, and Michael Sherraden

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Data for Social Impact - Data Persona Worksheet, Jenrose Fitzgerald, Dan Ferris, and Amelia Parnell

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Delivering Financial Guidance: Institutional Assessment and Directions for Inclusion, Margaret S. Sherraden, Jin Huang, and Lissa Johnson

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Design and Delivery of Trump Accounts: Clearing Fund and Custodian Network With Automatic Enrollment, Jin Huang and Michael Sherraden

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Enduring Impacts of Child Development Accounts: Increased Parental Expectations and College Preparation, Jin Huang, Sicong Sun, and Michael Sherraden

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Enhancing Diversion Success through Financial Capability and Asset Building: A Framework and Proposed Intervention, Lissa Johnson, Margaret S. Sherraden, Carrie Pettus, Jude Miller, and Jin Huang

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Financial Facts: SEED OK Child Development Accounts at Age 17, Jin Huang, Mark Schreiner, Margaret M. Clancy, Sondra G. Beverly, and Michael Sherraden

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Financial Shocks, Emergency Savings, and Hardship Among Low-Wage Workers, Haotian Zheng, Stephen Roll, and Mathieu Despard

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Fossil Fuel Wealth for Human Development: CDAs Continue in Kazakhstan with Second Year Deposits, Aytakin Huseynli and Michael Sherraden

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Hardships Increase as Households Rely More on Gig Work, Laura Brugger, Anthony J. Nixon, Amrita Kulkarni, Mathieu Despard, and Stephen Roll

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Is Public Website Design an Administrative Burden? The Case of SNAP, Guangli Zhang, Stephen Roll, and Mathieu Despard

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Matching Student-Debt Payments with Retirement Contributions Has High Appeal for Low-Wage Workers: Implications for SECURE 2.0, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, and Guangli Zhang

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Over 30 Million and Growing: Child Development Accounts Around the World, Li Zou and Michael Sherraden

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Policy Design for Multiple Funding Flows Into Trump Accounts, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden, and Lissa Johnson

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Public Benefits Cliffs and Asset Limits Harm the Economic Mobility of Young Adult Workers, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, and Guangli Zhang

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Racial and Ethnic Differences in Experiencing Administrative Burdens in Public Benefit Programs, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, Yung Chun, and Kourtney Gilbert

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Retirement Plan Access among Low-Wage Workers in 2024: Implications for SECURE 2.0, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, and Selina Miller

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Savings Incentives and the SECURE 2.0 Act: New Evidence on Employer-Sponsored Emergency Savings Accounts and the Saver’s Match, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, and Selina Miller

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Taking Small Steps With Big Data: Exploring the Impact of Education on Social Mobility, Yung Chun, Jenrose Fitzgerald, and Jason Jabbari

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The Case for Automatic Enrollment in Trump Accounts: Lessons from Maine’s CDA, Margaret Clancy, Jin Huang, and Michael Sherraden

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The Experience of Administrative Burdens in SNAP and Medicaid: New Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey of Low-Wage Workers, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard, and Yung Chun

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The Impact of Benefits Cliffs and Asset Limits on Low-Wage Workers: New Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey, Stephen Roll, Selina Miller, and Mathieu Despard

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The Impacts of the St. Louis Guaranteed Basic Income Program on Credit Health, Hannah Allee, Grace Anderson, Rachel Barth, Laura Brugger, Meihsi Chiang, Alex Dobill, Leah Hamilton, Ashley Moore, Liz Rolf, Stephen Roll, and Guangli Zhang

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The Impacts of the St. Louis Guaranteed Basic Income Program on Economic Security, Hannah Allee, Grace Anderson, Rachel Barth, Laura Brugger, Meihsi Chiang, Alex Dobill, Leah Hamilton, Ashley Moore, Liz Rolf, Stephen Roll, and Guangli Zhang

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The Impacts of the St. Louis Guaranteed Basic Income Program on Quality of Life, Hannah Allee, Grace Anderson, Rachel Barth, Laura Brugger, Meihsi Chiang, Alex Dobill, Leah Hamilton, Ashley Moore, Liz Rolf, Stephen Roll, and Guangli Zhang

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The Relationship between Agency Understaffing and Administrative Burdens in SNAP and Medicaid, Guangli Zhang, Stephen Roll, and Mathieu Despard

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Thirty Productive Years and a Very Promising Future: The Annual Letter of the Center for Social Development, Michael Sherraden

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Universal Asset Building: New Social Policy for a New Era, Michael Sherraden, Jin Huang, and Li Zou

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What Jobs Offer (and Don’t Offer) Benefits to Low-Wage Workers? Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey, Laura Brugger, Mathieu Despard, Selina Miller, and Stephen Roll

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Why Automatic Enrollment Is Essential for the Success of Trump Accounts: Lessons from SEED OK, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden, and Lissa Johnson

Research from 2024

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Asset-Building Policy and Black Reparations: Effective Delivery and Wealth Accumulation, Trina R. Shanks, Jin Huang, William Elliott, Haotian Zheng, Margaret M. Clancy, and Michael Sherraden

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Child Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Advantaged Accounts Benefiting American Children: Testimony Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, William Elliott

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Reflections, Accomplishments, and Opportunities: The CSD Annual Letter, Michael Sherraden

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Report on a Seminar on Financial Capability and Asset Building Organised for Social Work Practitioners, Augustina Naami, Mavis Dako-Gyeke, Abigail A. Mills, and Abena Ampomah

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The National Fund for Children in Kazakhstan, Aytakin Huseynli, Li Zou, Michael Sherraden, and Jin Huang

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Wealth-Building for All Children: Convergence and Evidence to Support a Nationwide Policy, Jin Huang, Trina R. Shanks, Margaret M. Clancy, William Elliott III, and Michael Sherraden

Research from 2023

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Advancing Racial Equity Through Community Land Trusts, Amal Alzhrani, Brittany Kiefer, Da-yup Kim, and Gabby Eissner

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Child Well-Being Policies in Post-Soviet Countries: The Potential of Child Development Accounts, Aytakin Huseynli and Michael Sherraden