Individual accounts in social security: Can they be progressive?

The trend toward individual asset accounts in social security, and the regressivity of these accounts, provide the motivation for this article. The article asks: why not asset building for the poor as well? Research on Individual Development Accounts in the United States finds that the poor can save when they have a structure and incentive to do so. Steps toward universal and progressive asset-based policy are pointed out in Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom. Future policy directions and challenges are considered.