19: Planning and Anthropology with Econ Dev Jim Eldridge

Jim Eldridge grew up wanting to be an anthropologist or a city planner. Instead, he puts both of those skillsets to use as an economic developer in Ada, Oklahoma.

Jim thinks that economic developers need to change the ways in which we work. So much of the work we do, day-to-day, in our field is pragmatic, but we spend too little time thinking about more innovative or better ways of improving our ability to support our local communities and economies. We have to spend more time thinking about new and different ways of making our work more effective.

Special Guest: Jim Eldridge.

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Links:

• Ada Jobs Foundation
• James Eldridge, CEcD | LinkedIn
• Portraits of a community: Ada - Center on Rural Innovation
• A fresh approach to growth in Ada
• James Eldridge Professional Website
• Center on Rural Innovation
• In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio (Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences, Series Number 10)
• Rationality and Power: Democracy in Practice (Volume 1998) (Morality and Society Series)