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GEOG 352: day 13. Reweaving Our Economies Close to Home. Housekeeping Items.
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GEOG 352: day 13 Reweaving Our Economies Close to Home
Housekeeping Items • There were some people not here last week, so check on-line for Day 12 for the new breakdown in marks. The mid-term will be a take-home, and I will give it to you in class on Thursday with it being returned the following Tuesday. It will be worth 15%. • Gary, Tyler, and Robbie will be presenting today, and then I will pick up the threads. • For next week, where we discuss alternative measures of human welfare, I would like to offer some additional readings on defensive expenditures, human nature, and the nature of human needs. • I will also hand back the outlines today.
Economies Closer to Home • What is the imperative for more local economies? • What are the strengths and weakness of the model represented in Figure 7.2 on p. 161? • On the economic side, the authors argue that – to be viable – local economies, and the organizations that comprise them, need: • access to credit • quality human resources • adequate infrastructure (usually beyond local organizations’ capability to create) • planning, research and advocacy, • and partnerships, networks, and alliances.
Economies Closer to Home • The social functions that need to be addressed include: • education • safety and security • social supports • affordable housing • culture and recreation. • While a community/ region may choose to emphasize certain strategic areas, it is helpful to do so in the context of a broad overview of “what is going on in each area, who the actors are, what strengths and weakness exists… [and] assets, deficits and needs.” This is in sharp contrast to senior government approaches of funding single-function short-term projects.
Economies Closer to Home • Successful projects • address economic, service, physical development, and community development needs • relies on a community’s resources and strengths and builds capacities • also draw on outside resources (public and private funds, professional expertise, and new partnerships) without ceding control. See the functions that outside agencies can perform on pp. 167-168. • They also exhibit: • a multifunctional, comprehensive strategy • an integration of economic and social goals and functions • basic principles for community empowerment and control • a businesslike financial management approach • anonprofit, independent, and NGO organizational format.
Economies Closer to Home • The authors cite two case studies in this chapter, one urban and one rural: Regroupmentéconomique et social du Sud-Ouest(RESO) in Montreal and Coastal Enterprises Inc. in Maine. • The chapter provides the details of how they were formed and how they operate • RESO is notable for democratizing economic power to the community and sub-regional level, while also building alliances amongst a host of diverse stakeholders and agencies, public, private, and civil society. • CEI is notable for creating a market for its financial products amongst those most in need. • Both are making use of a triple bottom-line approach that increasingly includes ecological considerations into its calculus. • For another example, see “Greening the Ghetto” (http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=48303).