Introduction: Community economic development and social work

Urban and rural communities facing poverty, high unemployment, lack of infrastructure, environmental problems, and disinvestment often seem beyond help. Traditional welfare state policies provide assistance to impoverished and troubled families, but do little to help families and com­ munities develop. In recent years, a variety of strategies that together are known as “community economic development�? (CED) have responded to these problems by creating jobs, building locally-controlled asset bases, and strengthening the social fabric of communities.