Resources

Global Microcredit Summit: Workshop Challenge Paper by Faisel Rahman, Fair Finance

Presented at a workshop during the 2011 Global Microcredit Summit in Valladolid, this paper explores Innovative Practices for Industrialized Nations: One Stop Shopping, Standardized Credit Platforms, E-Money Systems, Reaching Poor Youth, the Excluded, and Most Vulnerable. Authored by Faisel Rahman, founder of Fair Finance, UK.

Is Poverty Incompatible with Asset Accumulation?

Signe-Mary McKernan, Caroline Ratcliffe, Trina Williams Shanks. The Urban Institute. June 2011.

This paper explores whether poverty is incompatible with asset accumulation, i.e. whether the poor can and do save and whether they are able to build up assets over time. Data are presented from household surveys in the US, as well as from programs targeted at helping families accumulate assets. Download the paper here.

Do Assets Help Families Cope with Adverse Events?

This briefing paper, produced by the Urban Institute in November 2009, explores the impact of adverse events (e.g. poor health, loss of work or family breakdown) on material hardship experienced by families, and the impact of asset holding on their ability to cope.

Microfinance and Asset Building in Europe

The December 2010 edition of EMN's biannual magazine, 'Microfinance in Europe', focuses on asset building. Members of the Indigo network showcase their work and highlight key issues of policy and practice. Other high profile contributors include Michael Sherraden and Li Zou of the Center for Social Development, and Daniel Lee of the Levi Strauss Foundation.

EARN asset building orientation videos

Levi Strauss Foundation grantee EARN, based in San Francisco, has produced a series of short online orientation videos to help potential clients get started saving and investing in financial goals – homeownership, small business and education. A flavour of asset building US-style. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF3391BD20C69CBB6

What in the world...? Global lessons, Inspirations and Experiences in Community Development

Produced by IACD with the support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, this 2007 report explores how communities around the world are tackling issues such as sustainable development, capacity building and migration. It highlights the impact of asset building on community development, governance and women’s empowerment and includes case studies profiling microfinance initiatives in Uganda, India and East Timor.

Individual Development Accounts: Providing Opportunities to Build Assets

This paper produced by cfed (the Corporation for Enterprise Development) in June 2008 gives an overview of the background and genesis of IDAs (Individual Development Accounts) - one approach to asset building pioneered in North America. More resources on IDAs are available here.

Asset Building and the Escape from Poverty: A new welfare policy debate

This 2003 OECD report considers the nature of asset building and looks at examples from around the world.

Keeping Britain posted: How post ofﬁce banking could save the network and combat ﬁnancial exclusion

Produced in 2008 with the support of the Levi Strauss Foundation, this report by nef made an innovative contribution to the debate on how financially excluded individuals and communities can become more included by utilizing existing infrastructure and available resources. The report illuminated many issues and made a number of connections between the potential for financial inclusion in the UK and the value offered by Post Offices to local communities.

Financial Inclusion - change, challenges and opportunities

Conference report from the Transact National Conference, held in London in February 2010. Transact is the UK's national forum for financial inclusion. Speakers and delegates explored the needs of the ﬁnancial inclusion sector, such as evaluation and fundraising, and examined how policy and practice should develop. Discussions encompassed a range of ﬁnancial inclusion issues, from access to banking after ‘the shared goal’ to ways of supporting savings and asset building.

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