1st Edition

Going Local Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age

By Michael Shuman Copyright 2001

    National drug chains squeeze local pharmacies out of business, while corporate downsizing ships jobs overseas. All across America, communities large and small are losing control of their economies to outside interests. Going Local shows how some cities and towns are fighting back. Refusing to be overcome by Wal-Marts and layoffs, they are taking over abandoned factories, switching to local produce and manufactured goods, and pushing banks to loan money to local citizens. Shuman details how dozens of communities are recapturing their own economies with these new strategies, investing not in outsiders but in locally owned businesses.

    IntroductionNo Place Like HomeThe Perils of MobilityThe Triumphs of EconomistsAn Emerging CountermovementA Way Forward1. Place Matters Bad People and Bad CivicsThe Science of EfficiencyFree Trade vs. CommunityA New Economics of Place2. Needs-Driven IndustriesImport ReplacementFood Industries Energy IndustriesNatural-Resources IndustriesMaterials IndustriesBeyond Necessities3. Community CorporationsA Taxonomy of American BusinessEngines of Self-RelianceNew ModelsEmpowerment Through Ownership4. Financing the FutureBankers vs. CommunitiesCommunity-Development Financial Institutions Unconventional LoansLocally Owned EquityPension ReinvestmentThe Role of Public Policy5. Pro-Community Local GovernanceThe Virtues of LocalismLocal ReinvestmentLocal PurchasingSelective PrivatizationLocal HiringLocal TaxesA Question of Power6. Bringing Home Power, Not BaconReal Home RuleA New Approach to TradeRethinking CorporationsNeighborhood BankingCommunity Lobbying7. Making HistoryTen Steps Toward Community Self-RelianceThe New Global VillageThe Lilliputian StrategyAppendix

    Biography

    Michael H. Shuman, co-director of the Village Foundation's Institute for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, is author of five books and numerous articles on the relationship between community and international affairs. His work has appeared in The Nation, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and The Washington Post. He lives in Washington, DC.