Community Economic Development Dissertations
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The mission of the Community Economic Development program is to build better practices and policies that serve low-income and marginalized communities around the globe. Community economic development gives people control over their economic futures by developing leadership in the poorest communities and eliminating the apathy that can result from generations of poverty and neglect.
The dissertation collection is focused on original research and skills to shape policy at local, regional, national or international levels. Students specialized in one concentration in Community Economic Development (theory, policy, or management).
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Browsing Community Economic Development Dissertations by Author "Karush, Gerald"
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Item Improving tenants' lives through affordable rental housing : quality-of-life impacts of five capitals by developer and location(Southern New Hampshire University, 2010) Koenig, Richard; Camayd-Freixas, Yoel; Hotchkiss, Charles; Karush, GeraldAffordable housing is asked to address a broad spectrum of physical and social needs and to achieve goals ranging from shelter to family improvement. The U.S. spends millions of dollars annually developing, financing, and operating affordable rental housing for low income households. However, there is no policy for what government-subsidized housing should accomplish for residents and little understanding of potential tenant outcomes. The lack of a comprehensive theory of affordable housing means that policies are made, funds spent, and units developed without goals anchored on sound theory. What then should be expected as the return on affordable housing investments, particularly given the discontinuity between its basic physical goal (decent shelter) and expanded social expectations (self-sufficiency)? Should only direct standard-of-living impacts (safety net outcomes like better and cheaper housing) be expected or should a deeper set of quality-of-life outcomes be expected? The study explores whether quality-of-life improves for tenants who move to affordable rental housing. It offers a framework for measuring quality-of-life changes based on five capitals: financial, physical, social, human, and personal. The study is grounded in theories of affordable housing: place-based, personal life, and professionals' experiences. To answer the research questions, a survey was conducted with tenants at four affordable developments in the Chicago suburbs, all privately-owned rental housing financed through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and H O M E programs. Two nonprofit and two for-profit developments were selected based on area desirability. A quality-of-life index was created comprised of the five capital indices which included subjective and objective questions. The study found that quality-of-life improved for tenants overall compared to their previous housing. However, not all comparison groups or capitals improved equally or as predicted. Physical, Social and Personal Capital increased while Human Capital had no change and Financial Capital actually decreased. The five capital indices were very effective at providing insight into why differences existed within and between groups.Item Minority-owned businesses, trade credit and discrimination : an empirical study of the impact of racial discrimination on access to trade credit for minority-owned vs. non-minority-owned firms(Southern New Hampshire University, 2007) Reese, T. David; Swack, Michael; Karush, Gerald; Buchele, RobertAccess to credit in particular and capital in general is a major determinant of the rate of both the formation and survival of small businesses. During the last thirty years a growing body of theoretical and empirical research has developed that explores how a firm’s access to credit varies by the business owner’s race and/or ethnicity and test specific hypotheses about why these variations might occur. The overwhelming majority of empirical studies show that on average African-American and Hispanic borrowers receive credit in amounts and on terms less favorable than those obtained by non-minority borrowers. Much of this research asks, "does racial discrimination in part account for the observed disparities in credit outcomes for various racial and ethnic groups?" While numerous studies have tested for the existence of discrimination in commercial bank lending to firms, to date, this author has found only two empirical studies that explore how access to trade credit varies with the race and/or ethnicity of a firm’s owner. This study begins the process of addressing this gap in the literature. This study explores if and how the amount of trade credit obtained by small businesses varies by the owner’s race and/or ethnicity. Our findings clearly shows that firms owned by African-American men, Hispanic white men and Asian-Americans on average receive significantly lower levels of trade credit relative to those owned by non-Hispanic white men. After controlling for industry, the owner’s human capital, the creditworthiness of the firm and the firm’s owner, this study finds no statistically significant evidence that the race/ethnicity of a firm’s owner explains the observed disparity in the levels of trade credit provided to firms owned by Hispanic whites and African-Americans. For firms owned by Asian-Americans, this study does find statistically significant evidence that race explains in part the observed disparities after controlling for industry, the owner’s human capital, the creditworthiness of the firm and the firm’s owner. This finding is noteworthy because many scholars suggest that Asian-Americans do not experience difficulties in accessing credit comparable to those experienced by other minorities. (Author abstract)Item Where do we go from here? Community participation and empowerment in the empowerment zone : Atlanta, 1994-2002(Southern New Hampshire University, 2009) Jackson, Deborah A.; Hotchkiss, Charles; Karush, Gerald; Reilly, CatherineThe concepts of community participation and community empowerment have been the focus of several federal programs, such as the Empowerment Zone (EZ), that were designed to alleviate some of the causes of poverty found in urban areas. This research examines what impact those concepts had on conditions within targeted communities from the perspective of community representatives whose voice is not often heard. The study analyzes the impact the EZ program had on strengthening the community’s ability to take control of and/or influence decisions affecting its quality of life. The research proposes a conceptual framework of community participation as empowerment and demonstrates the need for a more holistic approach to comprehensive planning initiatives. The framework identifies the factors that are needed to make participation meaningful or effective – exercise of power; access to resources; and identification of results or benefits for the community. This dissertation uses a case study research design and qualitative data collection methods to examine four neighborhoods of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone (AEZ) that were also part of the Model Cities Program in the 1970’s. Although there was strong emphasis on the importance of community participation and community empowerment as key components of the strategy, no clear definition or guidance was provided as to how the participation requirement would be implemented. Likewise, it was unclear what was intended by empowerment. The research findings show the community representatives encountered significant barriers to their participation in the decision-making processes. Among these were the absolute control exercised by the mayor’s office thwarting community recommendations; and the lack of adequate resources to support independent actions by the community. The research identifies that the real issue is about power: Who has power? How can a more equitable distribution of power be attained? The overall findings also demonstrate that even where the factor of race is not an overt driving force, the institutionalization of the historic effects of racism, which is directly tied to the conditions of persistent poverty and the lack of power, must be addressed; or there will be no significant change in the conditions of communities affected by poverty. (Author abstract)