The Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM) is going from strength to strength as it reaches its eighth year of world class research.

CHASM is celebrating eight years of success in producing cutting edge, rigorous and relevant research on wealth and financial wellbeing.  At a time of economic uncertainly and growing inequality, CHASM is the first university-based, interdisciplinary research centre to focus on financial assets, inclusion, transfers and tax and financial capability.

The Centre’s breadth and scale of research, teaching and engagement is demonstrated in their recently published Annual Report, which showcases a very busy and successful year.  Highlights include the Savings and Debt Summit, which built on the ‘Saving Manifesto for an inclusive savings agenda’ report by James Gregory, Karen Rowlingson and Andy Lymer, the publication of a book on social policy and welfare debates by Lee Gregory and the completion of innovative research with Vivid Housing Association on the relationships between wellbeing and tenure resulting in a Guardian news article and extended research with new clients EDDC and Liverty.

At the end of 2017 CHASM was appointed as the lead co-ordinator for the next phase of development of the Money Advice Service’s UK Financial Capability Evidence Hub.  This is a vital tool to assist in the improvement of the assessment of intervention effects in the financial capability arena. The Centre will be helping to design future interventions, policies and funding programmes by making evidence, insight and review more accessible and understandable.

We are also pleased to announce that a further five years of funding has been secured from the Friends’ Provident Foundation and the Barrow Cadbury Trust to continue monitoring financial inclusion from 2018-2022. CHASM has been producing its widely cited annual review of financial inclusion data and commentary for the last five years, authored by Karen Rowlingson and Steve McKay.  The current research will also analyse data on employment and economic growth patterns alongside levels of income, poverty and destitution, to inform important policy debates about high cost credit, support for saving and social welfare reform.

CHASM’s 2018 Annual Report displays a full overview of activities and outputs from the past year, highlighting the Centre’s continued impact with its research, teaching and international engagement.