Community Economic Development

The role of economic development in communities is multi-faceted, having an array of impacts and implications. This volume explores the relationships between economic development and community development, focusing on the aspects that impact communities such as social capital, participation, and business development. It discusses the need for more closely aligning the goals of community betterment and economic improvement and finding ways to enhance leadership and other resources. Including both current contributions and "classics," the evolution of relationships and roles through the years is explored. The volume addresses aspects of theoretical overviews, particularly sustainable economic development. It presents a framework to envision the interrelationship between community development and economic development by bringing in social capital theory. It also suggests ways in which economic development can be improved at the community level, with specific steps for improving development strategies and outcomes. The volume concludes with an exploration of directions for future research, including the need for more theoretical and empirical work on the role of amenity development on rural community economic and quality-of- life outcomes. Practitioners of community and economic development, along with researchers and students will find this volume useful and relevant for both theory and application. This book is a compilation of articles published in the journal Community Development.