Biography
Mathieu Despard, MSW, Ph.D, is the Executive Director of the UNC Center for Community Capital. Before joining the CCC team, Dr. Despard served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, where he conducted research on the financial inclusion and security of low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. Recent projects include the distribution of mainstream and alternative financial services, a large scale tax-time savings experiment, and the impacts of student debt on low- and moderate-income households. He also conducts research on employee financial wellness and the financial health and capacity of nonprofit organizations, and has several years of experience in nonprofit organizations serving low-income communities and graduate-level teaching in nonprofit management, community development, and social policy at the School of Social Work and Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill. Dr. Despard is also a faculty associate with the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.
Prior Research
The Mediating Role of Assets in Explaining Hardship Risk Among Households Experiencing Financial Shocks, Forthcoming.
Effects of a Tax-Time Savings Experiment on Material and Health Care Hardship Among Low-Income Filers, September 2017.
The Role of Parents in Introducing Children to Financial Services: Evidence from Ghana YouthSave, September 2017.
Mapping Financial Opportunity: Final Report & Web Platform, Spring 2017.
Employee Financial Wellness Programs Project: Comprehensive Report of Findings, Summer 2017.
Employee Financial Wellness Programs: A Review of the Literature and Directions for Future Research, 2017.
Do Metropolitan Areas Have Equal Access to Banking? A Geographic Investigation of Financial Services Availability, February 2017.
Can Post Offices Increase Access to Financial Services? A Geographic Investigation of Financial Services Availability, February 2017.
Navigating Day-to-Day Finances: A Geographic Investigation of Brick-and-Mortar Financial Services and Households’ Financial Health, February 2017.
Resilient in the Midst of Financial Change: A Geographic Investigation of Brick-and-Mortar Financial Services and Households’ Financial Health, February 2017.
Investing in the Future: A Geographic Investigation of Brick-and-Mortar Financial Services and Households’ Financial Health, February 2017.
Financial Insecurity and Risk Experiences of Justice Involved Persons with Severe Mental Illnesses, December 2016.
Effects of a Tax-Time Savings Intervention on Use of Alternative Financial Services Among Lower-Income Households, December 2016.
Do Tax-Time Savings Deposits Improve Financial Outcomes and Reduce Hardship Among Low-Income Filers? A Propensity Score Analysis, October 2016.
Student Debt and Hardship: Evidence from a Large Sample of Low- and Moderate-Income Households, November 2016.
Preventive Policy Strategy for Banking the Unbanked: Savings Accounts for Teenagers?, July 2015.