PADM 530 Article Review

Article Review: Community Economic Development

Annette Reed

Liberty University

Article Review: Community Economic Development

The authors Roger Clay and Susan Jones give a brief history of community economic development (CED) this article explains how CED has expanded and developed over the years from the early 1900’s until now. The authors explains there is no one way to define CED however, they state that it involves a wide strategic plan that includes economic activities and programs for the development of low-income communities. In these low-income communities, this involved affordable housing and small business development by creating and the expansion of the neighborhood businesses to larger commercial and retail services.

The history of CED given by the authors is actually the history of social movements with their roots beginning in the early 1900’s when Booker T. Washington and W. E. Dubois discussed the best way to achieve economic and political power for newly emancipated slaves. Washington encouraged and urged blacks to seek economic self-sufficiency, deemphasize civil rights and social equality but there needed to be created through programs industrial training and entrepreneurship as well as the importance of hard work. However, DuBois idea was to cultivate college-educated black leaders to lead the charge for racial equality although he did agree that blacks should become economically independent as well as entrepreneurs (Clay and Jones, 2009).

Subsequently, community economic development (CED) from the 1950’s to the 70’s, became an important moment during this time the focus included the goals of civil rights activism and large-scale political strategies, which embraced local economic realities, to redress inequality that blacks dealt with (Clay and Jones, 2009). For the most part, by the mid 60’s activist were dissatisfied with the “mainstream integrationist strategies that benefited middle class blacks but did not address the needs of poor citizens. Therefore, strategies were developed to address economic disadvantage, the struggle for political equality in the south and better economic conditions in urban ghettos. The attention given to poverty and inequality lead the federal government to develop social policy programs that help create the foundation for the CED movement (Clay and Jones, 2009).

The CED went through many changes the authors discussed in this article, the development of CED in the early 1800’s until present time community economic development started out as a social movement. However, as time went on needs of the community were not being met and other strategies as well as programs were developed to address these concerns (political equality, mainstream integrationist strategies, poverty and urban disinvestment,). Nevertheless, due to policies changes and political agendas there were cuts in programs under CED that are affecting communities today. Although the authors discuss that CED has matured into an “industry” with complete internal supports in the form of community development corporations (CDC); funding intermediaries; and federal, state and local, agencies. Furthermore, the industry (CED) would benefit from a level of standardization and rationalization, I have to disagree to this assumption because members of the community as well as the programs that are implemented should not conform to a certain level if it’s not benefiting the people or the community.

In addition, to justify conforming is to accept the attitude that to improve community economic development is to accept changes that are not appropriate for the people or the community. To revitalize poverty-stricken communities and improve economic growth leaders need to consider globalization. Therefore, turning away from traditional business development and recruitment toward ensuring all participants in a local economy have adequate preparation to make maximum contributions (Friedmand, 2005)

Reference

Clay, R. A., & Jones, S. R. (2009). Journal of affordable housing & community development Law; Chicago 18.3 257-267.

Leigh, N. G., & Blakely, E. J. (2017). Planning local economic development: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: CA. Sage Publication, Inc.