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Revitalizing Our Local Economy: An Evening with Michael Shuman

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 7:00 PM (ET)

Ithaca, United States

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Event Details

 

Local First Ithaca is pleased to present an evening with Michael Shuman.

As the federal government runs out of plausible stimulus solutions to the nation’s persistent unemployment crisis, a new set of options is beginning to emerge at the local level across America. The real solution, argues Michael Shuman, is to nurture locally owned businesses through cutting-edge economic development policies that cost little or nothing.

The overall argument for embracing the economic-development strategy of LOIS—based on locally owned, import-substituting businesses—will be laid out.  Evidence will be presented about the superior job-creating potential of local businesses, especially if they focus first and foremost on meeting local demand.  The concept of self-financing “metabusinesses” will be introduced, along with several emblematic public policies that could support LOIS businesses.

Shuman is the author of three books detailing these approaches:  Going Local (1998), The Small-Mart Revolution (2006), and Local Dollars, Local Sense (2012). He shows that the key to creating jobs is to abandon ineffective traditional economic-development policies that emphasize the attraction and retention of nonlocal business and to support local businesses through sensible policies promoting local investing, purchasing, entrepreneurship, and partnerships. Among the kinds of policies worth exploring are the deployment of “meta-businesses,” which support local businesses in ways that pay for themselves (e.g., a purchasing cooperative whose staff is paid through membership fees).

This event is made possbile through a grant from the Park Foundation and additional contributions from GreenStar Cooperative Market. It is free and open to the public, but we request that you RVSP by registering through this form.

When & Where

330 E State St./MLK
3rd Floor
Ithaca, 14850

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 7:00 PM (ET)


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