Principles of Community Economic Development

Catalog description

This course is designed to introduce the issues giving rise to concern for rural and regional economies, and the theories, concepts and tools of rural and regional economic development. The goal is to integrate theory and practice and apply them to economic development problems. Tools are presented in a "how to" manner. Topics include what is meant by 'Economic Development' and how perspectives on it vary; national and state policies on economic development; economic development theory, including Economic Base, Product Cycle, Central Place Theory, and Attraction Models, and their implications; basic analytical tools for community economic development, including Location Quotients, Shift Share, and Input-Output analysis; business retention, expansion, and location; and economic development strategies, such as entrepreneurship, business development, locality development, and human resources. As a writing-intensive course, strong emphasis is placed on using the written word to apply these concepts and tools to real world situations, with most homework assignments modeled on the types of analysis and reports conducted by economic development practitioners.