Brotherhood of St Laurence lunchtime research seminar - Financial Inclusion beyond the mainstream: considerations for developed countries

Financial inclusion policies are historically linked to the context of welfare reforms in developed countries, and in the UK to the New Labour’s social inclusion agenda. After reviewing some of the approaches followed overseas, this seminar discusses how a progressive financial inclusion agenda can be built in Australia through a combination of programs and policies that not only address individual inclusion, but also deal with the regulatory and institutional constraints that create systemic barriers to the process of financial inclusion.  The concept of financial inclusion has been predominantly associated with the promotion of effective access to mainstream financial services and products. Access to financial instruments such as bank accounts, credit, insurance, and savings is certainly an essential component in the process of social inclusion. However, I argue that this restricted definition risks minimising the relevance of financial inclusion policies to the social inclusion agenda.
Zuleika Arashiro is the Research & Policy Manager, Financial Inclusion, a position established in 2009. She has previously worked with policy-oriented research for government agencies, the corporate sector and non-profit organisations, with an emphasis on trade and development policies. Her professional experiences in Brazil and in the United States have contributed to her commitment to a comparative perspective on the relationship between economic policies and inequality. Zuleika has a PhD in Politics and International Relations from La Trobe University and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne.