Imagine you just turned 18 and you receive a grant of several thousand euros to launch a business, buy a house or get a university degree. Sounds like a dream? It turns out several countries around the world are now experimenting with the idea!

At a time when wealth is increasingly accumulated more through inheritance than entrepreneurship, America is drawing on social innovation to tackle growing inequality. Among these, a start-up capital for young people, an idea discussed since the French Revolution and known in the Anglo-Saxon world as “baby bonds”, aims at endowing citizens either at birth or on reaching maturity with a grant that can be used to start a business, purchase a home, save for retirement, or pursue a college degree. The States of California and Connecticut are leading the way, and, while the UK experimented with a similar idea – the Child Trust Fund - in the early 2000s, this innovative policy has also been recently introduced in some Departments in France.

For the first time ever, Sciences Po’s Impact Studio and School of Public Affairs will gather the leaders who are pioneering this innovation for an exceptional conference.

Speakers

Lionel Adam is a Counselor for the Department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, where he has recently introduced the “revenu d’émancipation jeunes”.

Julian Le Grand is professor at the London School of Economics' Marshall Institute and was one of the founders of the UK’s Child Trust Fund scheme.

Kasey O’Connor is California’s “HOPE” Executive Director and oversaw the development of the initiative in her previous role as California Treasurer’s legislative director.

Erick Russell is Connecticut State Treasurer, and as such, is overseeing the implementation of the baby bonds program in the state.

Moderator

Niels Planel is a visiting professor at the Sciences Po’s School of Management and Impact and has been researching and publishing extensively about this policy.

* Read the brand new joint Impact Studio x Sens Public report on tackling inequality here: https://www.orbita.press/api/cahier-32-inequality *

A New Idea in an Age of Inequality: Providing A Capital Endowment for Youth