Clarifies the value-laden meanings of "community" in community work discourse. Centers on the concepts of Gemeinschaft (community), Gesellschaft (association), and Bund (league or federation). Examines the insights of community studies and the practice of community work within the Judeo-Christian value system. (SK)

Beliefs and values evolve within communities through daily experience. Information gained from experience is translated into knowledge through the filter of beliefs and values. Community development facilitators should add their knowledge base to the community's to produce new knowledge and a synthesis of new cultural habits. (SK)

A case study of residents in a small rural Washington community identified basic differences between long-term residents and new migrants: (1) perception of community leader characteristics; (2) support of growth versus maintenance of status quo; and (3) educational attainment. Demographically, the groups were more similar than different; the…

Both community development and sustainable livelihood approaches ignore value contestations that underlie people's interests and experiences. A case from Bolivia demonstrates that local values, social relations, actions, and language strategies must underlie policy and method in development. (Contains 28 references.) (SK)

Interviews with 27 "outsider" community development workers explored such issues as who benefits from outsider intervention, raising unrealistic expectations, and differing levels of risk. Workers must be aware of their considerable power (information, connections, and expertise) and the values that shape their use of it. (SK)