By Center for Social Development, Washington University in St. Louis

In 1950 there were just under half a billion young people from ages 15 to 24 in the world; by 2050 that number is expected to grow to 1.2 billion. Of these 1.2 billion, 90% will live in developing economies. Available evidence suggests that youth savings has the potential to improve the well-being of low-income and vulnerable youth, but globally, the number of youth savings programs is small. Systematic research is required to understand what types of youth savings products and services spur savings among populations of youth around the world.

Image from Corrinne Ngurukie, Save the Children

By Rani Deshpande and Corrinne Ngurukie, Save the Children

YouthSave marked a major milestone in July with two partner financial institutions (FIs) kicking off their product pilot tests: HFC Bank in Ghana and Kenya Postbank.  These pilots are the culmination of months of dedicated work by many staff within our partner FIs as well as Consortium member organizations.

By Payal Pathak, New America Foundation

Last week, USAID held an insightful seminar called “Behavior Change Perspectives on Gender and Value Chain Development,” with featured speakers Jennefer Sebstad (who happens to sit on YouthSave’s Expert Advisory Board) and Cristina Manfre.The speakers presented a framework on how gender influences behaviors in upgrading, or improving the performance and competitiveness of, agricultural value chains. Drawing on field research in Ghana and Kenya, the speakers suggest that nudging better performance in money management, business practices, and value chain relationships can facilitate upgrading and help overcome barriers to behavior change.

Image from Rani Deshpande, Save the Children

By Payal Pathak, New America Foundation

With the “golden age of behavioral research,” as New York Times columnist David Brooks recently described, comes a golden opportunity for the asset building and financial inclusion fields.  Indeed, the latest breakthroughs in social science and behavioral research beg – or perhaps even force – us to think differently about poverty reduction and the policies and mechanisms that can enable it.