Drawing on a decade's worth of conversations with key leaders in the growing field, from cooperative developers and community activists to impact investors and social enterprise innovators, this book of interviews from the Democracy Collaborative dives into the front lines of the movement to build community wealth. Exploring both the breakthrough projects that helped define the field and the lessons learned when deep challenges presented themselves, Conversations on Community Wealth Building is a unique look at the people, practices, and policies behind the new equitable development models of the 21st century.
Here you will find stories of people pursuing a range of strategies that are making a positive difference in communities across the United States. The strategies include social enterprises, cooperatives, employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) companies, community land trusts, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), community development corporations (CDCs), and community organizing. Everyone we interviewed in their own way is not only working to improve their own communities, but is also contributing to a broader movement towards social and economic justice, rooted in community-controlled land and enterprises... Purchase the book.