This case study research is based on a 3-year project (1996-1999) in which Iowa State University Extension developed and implemented a long-term community development project based on strengthening social capital using participatory research. The results of this mapping were initially interpreted as indicating a high level of social capital, but…

The authors contribute to the development of empirical methods for measuring the impacts of place-based local development strategies by introducing the adjusted interrupted time-series (AITS) approach. It estimates a more precise counterfactual scenario, thus offering a stronger basis for drawing causal inferences about impacts. The authors…

This qualitative study examined boundary spanning leadership in community-based contexts. The study focused on exceptional leaders of university-school-community partnerships in two urban regions of the USA. The findings indicate that boundary spanners are aided by contextual knowledge, interpersonal skills, trust and connectedness, but they also…

This study of philanthropy donors in Appalachian Ohio was conducted with the purpose of understanding giving within a rural region. The research was initiated with an ultimate goal of increasing endowed assets in communities that are experiencing philanthropic poverty. The data collected from donors utilizing post-positivist qualitative research…

This report sets out to comprehensively analyse major reviews and evaluations of programs relevant to Indigenous labour market outcomes, including national mainstream and Indigenous-specific policies. The main evaluations covered relate to the Aboriginal Employment Development Policy, the Indigenous Employment Policy, the Community Development…

This paper engages with some of the specific issues that challenge critical practice. My argument is related to the Carr and Kemmis debate on "staying critical" and to ideas expressed in my current book, "Community Development: A Critical Approach." I refer to critical practice as any practice that has a transformative social justice intention,…

All too often, a community undergoing a community development process is relegated to the role of audience to outsiders' expertise. Community members are asked to furnish token "representation" of the residents' point of view and once they have been represented are asked to approve what the outsiders say is in their best interest. This dynamic is…

In March 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao acknowledged that the situation in the Chinese countryside is desperate and claimed new resources would be devoted to healthcare and education. This announcement should have pleased architects of the Chinese "learning initiative" who are building learning cities and villages. The authors describe why…

For educators, the anti-globalization movement has created a literature of opposition which offers enhanced opportunities for teaching critical analysis of neo-liberal political economy. The movement also aids those who wish to teach how First World wealth and privilege is functionally related to Third World poverty and underdevelopment. The…

A sampling of definitions indicates a certain amount of ambiguity and confusion about development and how it differs from other concepts such as growth and change. Any attempt to clarify this concept should begin initially with identification of the essential meaning of the term and then consideration of its characteristics and how it differs from…

The background, organization, and recent publications of the Southern Rural Development Center (SDRC) are presented in this annual report of the 1988-1989 fiscal year. Forty-three activities and projects are briefly described, including conferences, meetings, and workshops sponsored and co-sponsored by SDRC. Four regional task forces are…

The "pining" for a sense of community, for roots, for a connectedness to others is a basic need that is felt but not understood, that is desired but not practiced, in either college settings or the greater society. Thus, the prevalent rootlessness and transience that students arrive with at college (due to a highly mobile society) is never…

This study investigated the historical development of the Gage Park community in Chicago, Illinois, including its population changes, education, income, racial composition, housing and crime. The results indicate that the community, which in the past has been primarily composed of persons of German ancestry, has experienced an influx of Latino and…

The Office of Community Research at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, provides community access to the college's educational resources and professional expertise. (Author)