Review of “A Brief History of Community Economic Development.” 1
Review of “A Brief History of Community Economic Development.”
Steven L. Johndrow
College of Arts and Sciences, Liberty University
PADM 530: Politics, Strategies, and Initiatives of Community Economic Development
Dr. William Clements
March 24, 2024
Review of “A Brief History of Community Economic Development.” 2
Introduction
This review will look at the article “A Brief History of Community Economic
Development.” This article looks at various descriptions of Community Economic Development
(CED) as well as how CED changed throughout various eras in United States history. This article
is written by Dr. Rodger A. Clay and Dr. Susan R Jones. Dr. Clay serves on the advisory board
for the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences at Stanford University. Dr. Clay has also
served as a senior fellow at the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota. He
holds a J.D. from University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Jones is a Professor of Clinical Law, at
George Washington University Law School. Her research focuses on entrepreneurship and law,
small business, and community economic development. She holds a J.D. from Antioch school of
Law.
Summary
First Dr. Clay and Jones attempt to describe CED, but begin with the statement, there is
no standard definition of CED but rather that it has been described as, “a strategy that includes a
wide range of economic activities and programs for developing low-income communities.”
Following this the authors attempt to discuss some of the concepts and perspectives of CED. The
authors discuss that many CED projects include initiatives to fight homelessness, joblessness,
and crime. Other examples discussed by Dr. Clay and Dr. Jones include CED being a local
projects in which communities repair social relations and political strength.
In the next part of this article Dr. Clay and Dr. Jones examine what community economic
development (CED) looked like in various eras, starting with the pre-civil rights period. This
civil rights period looks at the beginnings of CED with discussions between Booker T.
Washington and W.E.B Du Bois. The authors in this section describe that both had similar end
Review of “A Brief History of Community Economic Development.” 3
goals of economic independence and black entrepreneurship but provided different ways of
achieving this. Washington was described as advocating for vocational programs, property
ownership, and hard work. Du Bois was promoting college-educated leaders to lead the
communities.
The early civil rights era was discussed as having a focus on middle class black people
while ignoring the impoverished. This inspired government social policy that served as the basis
for CED, the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA), and the Community Action Program (CAP).
The CAP led to the creation of education, health, housing, and social service programs. The
1980s and early 1990s were defined in the article by cuts to many social plans under the Regan
and H.W. Bush administrations. Welfare and social programs such as food stamps and housing
assistance were cut. Additionally, tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy created greater
income disparities. Dr. Clay and Jones then discuss the Clinton administration as not improving
conditions due to focuses on free trade. They describe Clinton’s policies as making it more
difficult for workers to obtain a living wage job.
The contemporary discussion on CED focuses on the stimulation of markets in low-
income communities. This is to promote private investment in business, housing, and financial
institutions. This strategy focuses on localism. Criticism of contemporary strategies are discussed
as making poverty worse due to gentrification, focuses on capital inflow, and unchanging
poverty structure.
Critique
Dr. Clay and Dr. Jones complete a very detailed description of the development of
Community Economic Development programs for the early pre-civil rights era, through
contemporary strategies. They use examples of programs and present both the positives and
Review of “A Brief History of Community Economic Development.” 4
negatives of the policies presented. The focus on contemporary market-based strategies
continues to require more discussion. Since this article was published, the world has gone
through significant changes with the COVID-19 pandemic having profound impacts on
investments and entrepreneurship (Sharma, Kraus, Liguori, Bamel, & Chopra, 2022). The long-
term effects of the pandemic will require more research and may not be seen for years down the
road. Other considerations with CED that must be considered in the increase of globalization and
digitalization of services provided (Sarbu, Alpopi, Burlacu, & Diaconu, 2021). This must be
inclusive for those living in poverty. The pandemic displayed the digital inequalities present in
communities, particularly with the education for children being required to conduct course work
(Beaunoyer, Dupere, & Guitton, 2020).
Conclusion
This review looked at the summary of the article “A Brief History of Community
Economic Development.” It went over various eras that the authors Dr. Clay and Dr. Jones
discussed. This included the pre-civil rights, civil rights, post-civil rights, and contemporary eras.
This article proved to be well written but dated. There are significant economic impacts related
to the COVID-19 pandemic that need investigating going forward.
Review of “A Brief History of Community Economic Development.” 5
References
Sharma,DG.DD., Kraus,DS., Liguori,DE., Bamel,DU.DK., & Chopra,DR. (2022). Entrepreneurial
challenges of COVID-19: Re-thinking entrepreneurship after the crisis.DJournal of Small
Business Management,D62(2), 824-846.Dhttps://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2022.2089676
Sarbu,DR., Alpopi,DC., Burlacu,DS., & Diaconu,DS. (2021). Sustainable urban development in the
context of globalization and the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.DSHS
Web of Conferences,D92, 01043.Dhttps://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20219201043
Beaunoyer,DE., Dupéré,DS., & Guitton,DM.DJ. (2020). COVID-19 and digital inequalities:
Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies.DComputers in Human Behavior,D111,
106424.Dhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106424
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