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Hi

We would like to invite you to attend a caucus "Creating a Global Economy for All: the Role of Community Partnerships" (see below for the program entry and a 1-page summary of the related research project). We have to purposes for the symposium. The first is to seek feedback on the research project. The second is to identify graduate students and faculty who might be interest in proposing case studies with the potential to be included in and funded by the research project.

 

If you would like more information about the research project I'd be happy to provide it by email attachments.

 

 

Bob

 

Submission: 17047 | Sponsor(s): (CAU) Scheduled: Tuesday, Aug 16 2011 1:15PM -2:45PM at Hilton Palacio del Rio in La Vista South

Creating a Global Economy for All: The Role of Community Partnerships

Organizer: Robert Brent Anderson; U. of Regina; Presenter: Leo Paul Dana; U. of Canterbury; Presenter: Xiaohua Howard Lin; Ryerson U.; Presenter: Jian Guan; Ryerson U.; Presenter: Peter William Moroz; U. of Regina; Presenter: Eric Dorion; U. de Caxias do Sul; Presenter: Louw van der Walt; North West U.;

Communities of all typres are striving to participate in, and have a transformative effect on, the global economy and the opportunities it may provide. Their methods are varied and the outcomes not yet certain, but their efforts to create innovative partnerships for sustainable local prosperity speak to an understanding of the challenging complexity of the global economy. They can be models of community leadership and we want to learn from and build on what they are doing.

This caucus is related to a proposed research project. We are actively seeking others interested in exploring the relationship between communties of all types and the global economy. How are they impacted by it and, more importantly, how can they help shape it into something more sustainable and accomodating to diverse needs, approaches and interests?

Search Terms: communities , sustainable , global economy

 

 

This LOI builds on the results of earlier SSHRC funded research by the applicant and co-applicants, in
particular, a theoretical perspective and an analytical framework and knowledge generated by key
stakeholders through community engagement. We will extend the application of the framework beyond
Indigenous communities and the small number of non-indigenous communities previously studied to a
broader range of communities striving to participate in, and have a transformative effect on, the global
economy. Communities' methods are varied and the outcomes not yet certain, but their efforts to create
sustainable local prosperity speak to an understanding of the challenging complexity of the global
economy. The framework is a rich analytical tool that incorporates the strengths of various perspectives
and theories on development, such as modernization theory, dependency theory, and local modes of
regulation analysis. We do not treat these as competing explanations, but instead as incomplete partial
explanations of the complex, contingent and highly skilled task we call development. Structured by the
framework, we use them in combination to understand the actions of the parties in the development
process, and to understand and generate policies and strategies for fostering participation in the global
economy, creating a body of knowledge that will advance community economic development study in
Canada and beyond.
Our fundamental research questions are (i) why do communities choose to participate in the global
economy and (ii) how do they do so effectively. To address these questions we will identify the strategies,
decisions, actions, policies and programs adopted by communities, including partnerships with
extra-community actors such as regional and national governments, non-governmental organizations and
large corporations whose policies they wish to influence and transform. Our project meets the
Partnership Program and the Insight and Connection criteria being an interdisciplinary approach to a
complex societal challenge, generating and disseminating research knowledge within, and to and from,
academic and non-academic participants, building community capacity through engagement and
providing myriad opportunities for research training for students. Our ultimate objective is to establish a
network of researchers and communities exploring these research questions and learning from one
another to the benefit of each and resulting in a more sustainable global economy for all.
We will pursue activities through a series of case studies each under the leadership of the Project
Director, at least one of the co-applicants, at least one Ph.D. student and an appropriate lead community
agency. Masters and undergraduate students from the communities studied will be involved. We have
selected multiple case studies as our principle method because they allow for the exploration of
questions as to how and why, grounded in contemporary issues and events, and for the robustness of the
method with respect to both literal and theoretical replication (Yin 2003, 5). Each case study will include
demographic profiles, key informant interviews and facilitated community engagement in a workshop
with stakeholders to research and assess its community capital and to further identify innovative
strategies and models through which the community can better determine its economic development
trajectory.
We will network participants disseminate results widely both in academic and practitioner communities
through a website based on the one developed by one of our partners, the Network for Business
Sustainability. We will also use the website to recruit new partners to the project over its life. Another
important dissemination vehicle will be the Journal of Enterprising Communities (JEC), founded and
co-edited by the applicant and the co-applicant Leo Dana Paul. JEC focuses on "enterprise, people and
places" in an evolving global economy and explores theoretical perspectives, key practices and common
pitfalls and important policy issues and options".

 

 

Robert Anderson Ph.D., CMA, Professor

Hill/Levene Schools of Business

Past President, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada 

University of Regina

Regina, SK Canada  S4S 0A2

ph. 1-306-585-4728

fax 1-306-585-5361