The Local Economy Revolution Has Arrived

Resilient and economically healthy local communities matter to all of us more than ever -- but we've also learned that they're much more fragile than we realized. More than ever, we need new ways to grow small businesses, increase community engagement, capitalize on human potential, deal with the failures of the past, and more. But how?

This expanded and updated version digs into the profound sea changes in the world surrounding our communities, and why so many of our accustomed ways of trying to make communities better don't work. Instead of blindly repeating what we've done in the past,The Local Economy Revolution Has Arrived helps us see our communities the way they really are in today -- how places and their people are being transformed by forces we often don't see, and how those transformations are often inadvertently in conflict with The Way We Do Things.

Part teaching and part personal stories, Rucker uses everyday examples to make deep issues visible to volunteer advocate and professional alike. An accomplished writer in addition to a subject matter expert, Rucker's prose ranges from touching to factual to funny, as she takes the reader through scenarios that range from grieving the loss of her father, to the impacts of economic incentives, to the universal parent struggle of getting a kid to find their shoes. The book unfolds in short, stand-alone chapters, making for an easy read and allowing the reader to examine the big issues from a variety of down-to-earth perspectives.

The Local Economy Revolution is a book for anyone who cares about their community, from the occasional volunteer to the city manager. And for anyone who wants to make the place they care about better prepared for a resilient and people-focused future.