Low wages, precarious jobs, shuttered Main Streets and bleak futures — do towns have a way out of poverty that doesn't involve begging and bribing outside employers to invest? From Cleveland, Ohio to Preston, England and Scotland, some local governments are experimenting with investing public resources locally in community-held businesses, and public health. They’re calling this approach Community Wealth Building, and it’s gaining traction around the world. Most recently, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has included money for Community Wealth Building in the Biden Administration's National Strategic Plan. In today’s episode, we explore the spreading of Community Wealth Building and its impact on the well-being of individuals and communities so far. How are these models working where others have failed, and is now the time to take Community Wealth Building to a whole new scale?

Guests:

Ted Howard: Co-founder & President, The Democracy Collaborative

India Pierce Lee: Senior Vice President, Program at the Cleveland Foundation

Neil McInroy: Advisor of Community Wealth Building, Scottish Government

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