Brookings Institution Press

Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)—matched savings accounts for low-income households—are a relatively new means of improving the lives of the poor. Advocates of IDAs argue that those with assets are more economically secure, have more options in life, and can pass on status and opportunities to future generations. They further argue that assets have positive social, psychological, and civic effects that are independent of the effects of income.

Seeking greater programmatic effectiveness and lower costs, government agencies have long contracted with both nonprofit and for-profit providers for the delivery of a broad range of human services. ¹ In recent years, however, the stakes involved in many service-contracting decisions have changed.