Recent economic conditions in the United States and Canada, particularly periods of recession and high unemployment rates, have made economic development a more important and widely recognized activity of local government. But as the need for economic development professionals has increased, many positions have been filled by individuals with no background in economics, a situation which, along with high unemployment, has caused economic development to focus solely on generating jobs. In this planning guide for development professionals, Thomas Lyons and Roger Hamlin argue that more thought must be given to the secondary and long-term effects of local development, and to how economic development plans fit within the broader perspective of community development.The book provides a framework for formulating an economic development plan for a community, and is organized to follow the steps of the planning and management processes. Chapter one looks at the objectives of economic development planning and suggests a broader conception of them than is typically employed. In chapter two, Lyons and Hamlin discuss the data required to evaluate progress toward objectives, list the basic information about the community organized according to needs, and examine the information necessary to analyze the needs of the local economy. The third chapter provides a framework within which specific programs can be designed, discussing organizational structures and defining public-private partnerships and methods for establishing them. Chapter four relates how to transfer objectives and data into a program of action, and the fifth chapter presents a description of program evaluation. The book concludes with a summary chapter and a selected bibliography. This guide book will be a welcome resource to professionals in the field of economic development and municipal government, and to students of urban planning and public administration. It will also be a useful addition to both public and academic libraries.

Creating an Economic Development Action Plan: A Guide for Development Professionals

Business & Money

Lyons, Thomas S.

Hamlin, Roger E.

Economics

Praeger Pub Text

Recent years have witnessed a revolution in the way economies work. The world has moved away from centralized governments and economies, toward decentralized governments and market-driven economies. A pragmatic, non-ideological approach to mixed economic systems is becoming the order of the day, blurring the lines between public and private, and referred to here as the economy without walls. The purpose of Hamlin and Lyons' new work is to synthesize an understanding of the economy without walls, distill the implications of this economy for local communities, and apply knowledge of those implications to guiding communities' development. The book assumes that the use of intersectoral partnerships is an important part of any urban or regional development strategy. It systematically describes such partnerships, including the philosophical foundations of this approach and the financial and non-financial activities used to implement it. The work then discusses trends in the theory and practice of local community management that result from this economic restructuring. The implications of the economy without walls cannot be ignored if urban planners and related professionals are to be effective in the new worldwide environment. This book will be a must-read for scholars, students, and practitioners in urban planning, economic development, and public administration.

Economy Without Walls: Managing Local Development in a Restructuring World

Praeger

Despite strong U.S. and Canadian economies, economic development remains an important local governmental function, partly to alleviate the persistent poverty that plagues some areas and partly to compete with the activities of neighboring local governments. Those cities, metropolitan areas, rural regions, and states that do not plan effectively lose the battle for economic survival. Local economic development has become a complex and challenging field, with increasing numbers of planners specifically trained for the task. Providing a useful guide for planners and students of planning, this revised and updated edition of Lyons and Hamlin's 1990 book offers a framework for formulating an economic development plan for a local community.
Stating that economic development planning continues to focus too narrowly on job creation at the expense of long-term goals, the authors focus on the secondary and long-term effects of local development activities. Job creation, they claim, should be the end product of a well-considered, comprehensive, rational approach to economic development. The book looks at the objectives of economic planning, offering a broad conception of them, and considers the information needed to plan effectively. following a discussion of public-private partnership tools in the U.S., the book shows how to translate objectives and data into a program of action, then closes the loop of the planning cycle with a description of program evaluation.

Creating an Economic Development Action Plan: A Guide for Development Professionals Revised and Updated Edition

Providing a useful guide for planners and students of planning, this revised edition of Lyons and Hamlin's 1990 book offers a framework for formulating a local economic development plan.|Despite strong U.S. and Canadian economies, economic development remains an important local governmental function, partly to alleviate the persistent poverty that plagues some areas and partly to compete with the activities of neighboring local governments. Those cities, metropolitan areas, rural regions, and states that do not plan effectively lose the battle for economic survival. Local economic development has become a complex and challenging field, with increasing numbers of planners specifically trained for the task. Providing a useful guide for planners and students of planning, this revised and updated edition of Lyons and Hamlin's 1990 book offers a framework for formulating an economic development plan for a local community and explains several emerging strategies.||Stating that economic development planning continues to focus too narrowly on job creation at the expense of long-term goals, the authors focus on the secondary and long-term effects of local development activities. Job creation, they claim, should be the end product of a well-considered, comprehensive, rational approach to economic development. The book looks at the objectives of economic planning, offering a broad conception of them, and considers the information needed to plan effectively. Following a discussion of public-private partnership tools in the U.S., the book shows how to translate objectives and data into a program of action, then closes the loop of the planning cycle with a description of program evaluation.

Examining the role of the public sector in small-business debt-capital formation, this book describes current approaches, conceptually and pragmatically, and evaluates their advantages and disadvantages from a variety of perspectives. It also suggests a model for improving our approach to small business capital formation in the United States.
Financing small business creation and expansion has always been difficult. Private debt capital providers tend to avoid small business because the latter are preceived to be too risky. Yet because of the importance of small businesses to national economic growth, stability, and innovation, ensuring that these businesses can obtain and effectively use appropriate levels of debt capital is vital to national well-being. How, and to what extent, should the public sector intervene in the debt capital markets to ensure that sufficient capital flows to small businesses? This book is an attempt to answer that question.

Financing Small Business in America: Debt Capital in a Global Economy

A compelling argument for placing entrepreneurship at the heart of economic development provides a guidebook for how this can be done efficiently, effectively, and equitably.
Investing in Entrepreneurs: A Strategic Approach for Strengthening Your Regional and Community Economy offers a compelling argument for making the support of entrepreneurship the centerpiece of local and regional economic development―and provides a plan to make it happen. The book is organized around a tool, developed by the authors, that permits a community to strategically map and manage its business assets in a way that can transform its economy. 
Investing in Entrepreneurs begins with a reflection on the importance of entrepreneurship, a discussion of its diminished place in economic development, and a call for its rise back to prominence. The importance of managing entrepreneurial assets is discussed, followed by a thorough articulation of the author's tool for accomplishing this in a holistic and strategic manner. Examples drawn from the authors' fieldwork illustrate the many ways in which the tool can be utilized to guide economic development efforts. A final chapter discusses possible resistance to this innovation and how that resistance can be successfully addressed.
 • A unique tool for mapping and managing entrepreneurial activity in a community or region to permit the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of its economic portfolio
• 50 examples from the field showing the development of entrepreneurial skills, the movement of businesses through lifecycles, and interventions to increase and improve entrepreneurial activity
• Illustrations that explain the concepts graphically
• Appendices with templates, plans, and more
• A comprehensive bibliography of important reference sources in the enterprise development field

Investing in Entrepreneurs: A Strategic Approach for Strengthening Your Regional and Community Economy

Lichtenstein, Gregg A.

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship is the leading textbook that provides students with a comprehensive overview of the field. It brings the mindset, principles, strategies, tools, and techniques of entrepreneurship into the social sector to present innovative solutions to today’s vexing social issues. Kickul and Lyons cover all the key topics relevant to social entrepreneurship, including a detailed examination of each of the steps in the entrepreneurial process. This third edition includes several new features: <ul>
<li>A process-oriented format, taking students through discovery, design, development, and delivery</li> <li>Two new chapters: one on lean start-up and design thinking for social entrepreneurship, and another on unconventional approaches from developing countries</li> <li>Updated and new case studies, with improved global coverage</li> <li>"Voices from the Field" sections that explore evidence-based research from the field.</li> </ul>
Bringing together a rigorous theoretical foundation and a strong practical focus, this is the go-to resource for students of social entrepreneurship at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A companion website includes an instructor’s manual, PowerPoint slides, a test bank, and other tools to provide additional support for students and instructors.

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship: The Relentless Pursuit of Mission in an Ever Changing World

Kickul, Jill

Routledge

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship involves the application of business practices to the pursuit of social and/or environmental mission. It brings the mindset, principles, strategies, tools and techniques of entrepreneurship to the social sector, yielding innovative solutions to the vexing problems facing society – poverty, hunger, inadequate housing and homelessness, unemployment and under-employment, illiteracy, disease, environmental degradation, etc. It finds solutions where government and private sector efforts have not. This intriguing field has captured the imaginations of thousands of business and public administration students around the world, leading to the creation of hundreds of courses and programs of study to meet this burgeoning demand. Yet, there are few, if any, textbooks that offer a comprehensive treatment of this subject. Instructors are forced to cobble together reading materials from multiple sources, creating a hardship for professors and students, alike. This book is aimed at addressing this problem. Available with Instructor's Manual, PowerPoint's and Testbank.

Business Development & Entrepreneurship

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lyons, Thomas S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Lyons, Thomas S.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lyons, Thomas S.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Creating an Economic Development Action Plan: A Guide for Development Professionals

Economy Without Walls: Managing Local Development in a Restructuring World

Creating an Economic Development Action Plan: A Guide for Development Professionals Revised and Updated Edition

Creating an Economic Development Action Plan: A Guide for Development Professionals

Financing Small Business in America: Debt Capital in a Global Economy

Investing in Entrepreneurs: A Strategic Approach for Strengthening Your Regional and Community Economy

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship: The Relentless Pursuit of Mission in an Ever Changing World

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship: The Relentless Pursuit of Mission in an Ever Changing World

Understanding Social Entrepreneurship: The Relentless Pursuit of Mission in an Ever Changing World