This book analyses community-owned businesses in countries around the world to show successful approaches and important strategies to improve access to essential services in vastly different economic contexts.

Through eleven chapters, authors from various countries use case studies and analyse findings in ways which can be applied to new development initiatives, including rural grocery store retention in Kansas, socially responsible community cooperatives in Italy, preserving pubs and shops in England and Wales, serving residents with special needs in Canada, and financing basic goods and services for aging populations in Taiwan, plus other examples. The chapters explore practices and approaches used in various locations to address concerns about loss of access to essential services, making clear that this approach to financing is useful in different scenarios.

The chapters provide key insights suggesting that these approaches will be even more prevalent in the future and will be of interest to students, scholars, and community-development practitioners around the world.

"The renewal of rural communities is happening all around us today as organized creative leaders are building economic models that can rebuild our gathering places, re-energize the local foods marketplace, and bring the community together as participants in new forms of community enterprise. This important study by Norman Walzer and colleagues around the world is a great starting point in evaluating the importance of Community Supported Enterprises, and it can help leaders across the nation learn from successful projects and advance dynamic new enterprises for their communities."
Paul Costello, Executive Director, Vermont Council on Rural Development, USA.

"As smaller more rural communities struggle to maintain a vibrant local economy many are seeking new and innovative ways to support local businesses. The strategic approaches detailed by Walzer and his colleagues in this volume reflect that spirit of innovative thinking. Both scholars and practitioners of community economic development should seriously consider the ideas developed in this volume."
Steven C. Deller, Professor and Community Development Specialist, University of Wisconsin, USA.

Norman Walzer, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs located at Western Illinois University, USA. He was a Senior Research Scholar in the Center for Governmental Affairs at Northern Illinois University when the materials for this book were compiled. He has written extensively on local public finance and development issues with more than 25 books plus numerous scholarly and professional articles.