Community Wealth Building in the News
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- Responding to the State of Wisconsin’s offer of $3 billion in tax incentives to Foxconn, Executive Vice President Marjorie Kelly authored an op-ed putting forward an alternative: employee ownership. Rather than extremely costly corporate attraction strategies which often fail to produce meaningful jobs and tax revenue, Marjorie suggests allocating these resources towards supporting employee owned businesses, which would build and root wealth locally. Read more in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Madison Capital Times.
- “We should be prioritizing health equity and the investment we need in our communities as we carry on this health care debate,” writes Deputy Director of the Next System Project Dana Brown in a recent article for Truth Out. Dana goes on to further discus the need to address wealth inequality in order to truly transform our health care system.
- The Cleveland Scene recently published a profile of Brett Jones, president of Evergreen Energy Solutions, one of the worker-owned businesses that are part of Cleveland’s Evergreen Cooperatives. “We can create a new ownership class in America, close that income inequality gap, improve lives, [and] create a new economic class,” shares Jones. Read the full profile here.
- In New York City, the department of Housing Preservation and Development recently announced $1.65 million in funding for community land trusts in order to expand permanently-affordable housing. Read more about the organizing behind this effort and the land trust model in City Limits.
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New from The Democracy Collaborative
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New Report from The Next System Project on Solutions to Rising Inequality
The Next System Project recently released Reversing Inequality: Unleashing the Transformative Potential of an Equitable Economy, a co-published report with the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). Authored by Chuck Collins, who directs the Program on Inequality at IPS and is co-founder of Wealth for the Common Good, the report discuses the origins and trajectory of economic inequality in the United States. Collins then charts out practical interventions that would help reverse the trend towards growing inequality and deconcentrate extreme wealth. Read the full report here.
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Democracy Collaborative Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Next System Project Gar Alperovitz appeared on C-Span to discuss his book Principles of a Pluralist Commonwealth. Watch the full video here.
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Gar was also interviewed on the Laura Flanders Show about the book, which outlines the principles of a next system rooted in democracy and community. Watch the full interview here.
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How Funders Are Helping Anchor Institutions Strengthen Local Economies
Published by the Anchor Institutions Funders’ Group, part of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, this new report assesses how funders are working with anchor institutions to support community health and well-being. The report includes case studies from Albuquerque, NM, Baltimore, MD, Chicago, IL, Denver, CO and the Twin Cities, MN, and details how funders have moved beyond their traditional grant making roles to convene anchor collaboratives. Read the full report here.
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Guide Outlines Steps Localities Can Take to Build Community Wealth
This new guide, published by the UK’s Co-Operative Party, outlines the steps needed to develop a community wealth building ecosystem. Aimed at local officials and public-sector institutions, the guide provides information on these steps, from developing leadership to shifting procurement, a background on community wealth building, a case study of this approach in Preston, England, and recommendations for actions localities can take. Read the full guide here.
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New Book on Universities and Community Engagement
Leaders from the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships recently authored a new book on the role colleges and universities can play in fostering greater democracy and collaboration. Drawing on the history of education reformers, social theory, and a case study of Penn’s own community engagement work, the authors discuss strategies to leverage research and learning to advance social change. The book is available for purchase here.
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All-In Cities Policy Toolkit
The All-In Cities initiative, a project of PolicyLink, provides resources for local leaders to advance racial and economic equity at the city and municipal level. The site offers a policy framework, as well as a toolkit that provides resources around specific initiatives ranging from how to conduct racial equity impact assessments to developing equitable contracting and procurement policies. Each toolkit section provides key definitions, information on who can implement that policy, important considerations for program development, and case studies of where the strategy is being implemented. Access the full toolkit at: http://allincities.org/toolkit
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