This article reports the findings of a case study of social capital and economic development conducted in two towns in regional Australia between 2001 and 2002. The hypothesis driving the research states that a town displaying a high level of social capital will also display a high level of economic development, while a town with a low level of…

This case study research is based on a 3-year project (1996-1999) in which Iowa State University Extension developed and implemented a long-term community development project based on strengthening social capital using participatory research. The results of this mapping were initially interpreted as indicating a high level of social capital, but…

Based on ten months of ethnographic fieldwork, including more than 65 in-depth interviews with Chinese university students and higher education administrators, this study examines the roots of an emerging community service learning movement in mainland China. The dissertation focuses on a case study of a pioneering Chinese Party State-sponsored…

This article discusses a three-tiered process of collective experiences of various artistic and cultural forms that fosters the healing and transformation of individuals, families, and communities of the African Diaspora. Ifetayo Cultural Arts, located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, espouses and practices a three-tiered model of community…

Three case studies (senior citizens center, senior citizens housing project, and a housing and employment project) are assessed against an operational definition of community development. Since only one of these fits the definition, the author concludes that projects designated as community development activity by agencies and workers often do not…

Comparison of the sustainable livelihoods approach of a development agency and the British government's "healthcheck" approach to town regeneration found common emphasis on participation and community-led action. However, sustainable likelihoods emphasized a focus on poverty, building on strengths, and social capital as an asset.…

Case studies of three Indian businesses showed they were engaged in different types of community development: defensive, narrow, and positive. Addition of a sustainable livelihoods approach could add depth to business-community relationships with an outward focus, ability to deal with complexity, and emphasis on corporate citizenship. (Contains 27…

This research was commissioned by AONTAS-the National Adult Learning Organisation, in partnership with Irish Aid, the Irish Government's programme of assistance to developing countries. To date, a strategic focus on the integration of development education into adult learning has been missing at both State level and across the development…

Managing the competing interests of productivity growth, environmental concerns, landscape change and societal expectations presents challenges for agricultural industries. Innovation projects supporting knowledge development to address these challenges often involve partnerships with commercial farms, a methodology which promises much but has…

Results of a six-year pilot program in community resource development, carried out in the five-county Central New York planning region are summarized. The program, administered by New York Cooperative Extension, involving Extension Service of U. S. Department of Agriculture and Colleges of Human Ecology and Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell…

A case study of health reform in British Columbia followed four health-planning groups' efforts to foster community participation by developing local community health plans. Findings from the case study can inform the theory and practice of community development. (JOW)

Online discussion can be designed to develop the skills and confidence of students as well as providing an opportunity for constructing knowledge. If students decide not to participate or join too late, they put their own development and the quality of the learning community at risk. This article reflects on a first term undergraduate experience…

The Canada-Asia Partnership, a community development project of Canadian, Thai, and Filipino universities, included continuing education workshops. Their cross-cultural, participatory nature successfully promoted learning and skill development and resulted in holistic knowledge production. (SK)

Examines the process by which real estate developers construct rural images of urban places, exploit anti-urban, pro-rural, and pro-community sentiments, and commodify and appropriate the established meanings of places. Uses Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as a case study. Contains 47 references. (SV)

State and federal governments in Australia have developed a range of policy instruments for rural areas in Australia that are infused with a new sense of "community," employing leading concepts like social capital, social enterprise, community development, partnerships and community building. This has encouraged local people and…