Economic Development

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:  provides a comprehensive new paradigm for understanding economic development made sustainable through community development. MDC's history as one of the South's leading development nonprofits with experience in economic and demographic research, direct community assistance, and public policy development makes the organization uniquely qualified in the area of community development. Funded by the Hitachi Foundation. May 2002. $5. Pdf available online free.

STRENGTHENING THE RURAL CAROLINAS: This paper provides the conceptual framework for the Program for the Rural Carolinas, a five-year $10.6 million rural development project in North Carolina and South Carolina funded by The Duke Endowment. The program's goal is to increase the capacity of a group of economically distressed communities in rural North Carolina and South Carolina to revitalize their communities, focusing on increasing employment and asset development opportunities. June 2002. Pdf available online free.

STATE OF THE SOUTH 2002 - While several metropolitan areas have burgeoned and some rural communities have made a successful economic transition, economic shadows have darkened in many Southern rural and urban places that have no distinctive competitive advantages in today's economy, according to a panel of distinguished Southerners convened by MDC. State of the South 2002, the fourth in the biennial series, revisits MDC's groundbreaking 1986 report, Shadows in the Sunbelt, and offers recommendations to spread economic progress into the region's shadows. Funded by the Ford Foundation. September 2002. $15. Pdf available online free.

STATE OF THE SOUTH 2000 - A regional-level analysis of the impact of globalization on the Southern economy, with an analysis of trends in business mix changes, trade, foreign direct investment, occupational mix changes, immigration, and workforce readiness. The third in MDC's biennial series analyzing the Southern economy. Includes recommendations for the region's decision-makers. Funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Ford Foundation, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Education. September 2000. $25. Available online free. Part 1 pdf, Part 2 pdf, Part 3 pdf

STRATEGIES FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND INCREASED ACCESS TO EDUCATION:  a toolkit for rural communities and community colleges. Step-by-step strategic planning and team-building processes for developing the regional economy and increasing access to education are provided along with profiles of effective practices from many rural communities. Includes 10 videos, three guidebooks, and a notebook of resources. Created in partnership with the Ford Foundation and Video Dialog Inc. with development funding by the Ford Foundation. The toolkit introduction, which contains an in-depth description of the RCCI, the toolkit contents, and suggestions for use, are available online free. August 1998. $125.

COMING OUT OF THE SHADOWS: The Changing Face of Rural Development in the South: Funded by the Ford Foundation and the Aspen Institute. May 1992. $10.

SHADOWS IN THE SUNBELT: Developing the Rural South in an Era of Economic Change: Report of the MDC Panel on Rural Economic Development. Funded by the Ford Foundation and R.J. Reynolds Industries. May 1986. $5.