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.