Asset building is a promising and emerging area of social policy. Throughout the world, governments and nonprofits organizations are experimenting with this new approach to combat poverty and promote financial inclusion.

In Canada, SEDI has led this area of research and practice for decades. SEDI has published articles and research reports, advised governments on policy change, consulted on program design and delivery, and piloted promising initiatives. Our goal is to enable all Canadians, regardless of income, to be able to build assets and thrive.

Please visit the Publications page for SEDI's up to date and insightful research into this new area. A book on asset building in Canada, and papers on taxation and social assistance are among SEDI's publications. Two studies published in 2009 present the return on investment of SEDI's Independent Living Account (ILA) program and evaluate financial inclusion among the homeless. These two studies also explore ways in which the ILA model could be expanded to support groups vulnerable to homelessness.

Priority policy areas

We are constantly looking for opportunities to further our early research on new aspects and applications of social policies that help people lift themselves out of poverty by saving and building assets.   Our current priorities include:

• Discussing saving and asset building approaches over the life course and exploring options including multi-purpose life-time accounts that might provide greater flexibility, portability and inclusiveness to Canada's social benefit infrastructure.

• Exploring whether and how asset-based and asset-building interventions might be part of more effective strategies to promote economic and social development for Canada's Aboriginal People.

• Examining asset-based mechanisms to provide greater economic opportunity and inclusion for persons with disabilities or families caring for persons with disabilities.

• Building on the success of our work on the Canada Learning Bond to examine other options for saving and asset building policies for children.

• Understanding the impact of asset-holding on individual behavior, attitudes and socioeconomic outcomes as well as the interrelationship between individual wealth creation and Canada's economic performance and productivity.