In this second annual summary of the their work, the Investing in Community Initiative provides practical advice for community leaders and policymakers around four critical issues. First, how should local needs be defined? Chapter 1 argues that data about local economies can show whether communities are best served by creating new jobs,…

The survey-based research reported here offers insights on community, resource, and economic development (CRED) Extension programming at the national and regional level. The results present a national picture of CRED programming, research, and potential future programming opportunities that Extension could capitalize on. The research shows that…

Researchers asked 17 participants in a job-training program to describe their personal struggles following an economic restructuring. Examined through a critical theoretical lens, findings indicate that the learners enrolled in the program to reclaim security, dignity, meaningful work, and caring relationships. Program planners at community…

Investigates ways communities can assess their needs and plan ways to use telecommunications technologies to address those needs. Experiences from four urban communities are examined, as are barriers to access and issues regarding telephone service access. (GR)

This handbook is designed to help Peace Corps programmers in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating projects. The first four chapters describe the development process, discuss the purpose and mission of the Peace Corps, provide an overview of Peace Corps programming, and list project criteria. The next 19 chapters present the following…

Discusses characteristics identified by the Center for Occupational Research and Development as indicative of fully functioning advanced technology centers, including the provision of training and retraining in such areas as design, manufacturing, materials science, and electro-optics; technology transfer; demonstration sites; needs assessment;…

This manual presents a process for creating public-private sector partnerships on state and regional levels focused on increasing job opportunities for people with disabilities. The manual's four chapters follow the recommended program planning process. The first chapter offers suggestions for building a cadre of consumer, private sector, and…

The discussion paper consists principally of two checklists of preoperational research needs for development projects in developing nations. (Preoperational research is focused on the possibility or feasibility of introducing a given innovation, its implications, and necessary modification.) The checklists, the first on factors relevant for…

The first of a series of productivity primers examining the interrelationship among vocational education, productivity, and economic development, this volume contains selections from a national conference on the role of vocational education in economic development and productivity that was held in Columbus, Ohio from June 24 through June 26, 1981.…

The new demands being placed on the rural land base--for agricultural production, for energy and minerals, as well as for economic development--are considerable, and rural areas today face the difficult challenge of finding ways to accommodate new growth and development, while at the same time ensuring that essential activities and the inherent…

This handbook, which grew out of a timing project for development officers in rural Sri Lanka and which is intended for development workers around the world, consists of more than 50 training activities that enable women's and mixed groups to work together to carry out health and income generation projects. The handbook is based on several…

This manual is designed primarily to assist Education Peace Corps Volunteers undertake community projects in addition to their primary job assignment. Chapter 1 discusses the factors that determine the measure of success of the project. The process, not the product, is emphasized. Chapter 2 on situational analysis outlines areas of investigation…

A strong local economy which allows residents of a community to work and shop near their homes is perhaps the best safeguard against the threats of urban sprawl, economic stagnation, physical deterioration and loss of unique identity facing many small towns. Utilizing a six-phase process advocated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension,…

A study obtained early information on the effects of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 on states' efforts to develop and implement effective systems of school-to-work transition. Systems in eight states were studied: California, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. State leaders understood the need…

Results of an assessment of the needs of 136 countries for environmental communication, education, and information resources are reported in this paper. Following an overview of the procedures used in conducting the assessment, levels of needs for environmental education (EE) resources are reported for Africa, the Arab states, Asia, Latin America,…