Fellow Shanna Ratner is a lead developer for WealthWorks, a 21st-century approach to local and regional economic development that brings together and connects a community’s assets to meet market demand in ways that build livelihoods that last.
WealthWorks was designed for people, firms and places of all sizes, shapes and success levels. There are three essential components that distinguish WealthWorks from other approaches to economic development:
- Its guiding principles
- Use of the Wealth Matrix as a tool for assessment, planning, and measurement
- Focus on systems change through demand-driven value chains as a vehicle for creating wealth that sticks at scale
WealthWorks is not theoretical; its framework and approach has been thoroughly tested and refined through the experiences of people putting it to use on the ground. It is being successfully applied in diverse sectors including housing, energy efficiency, renewable energy, food and agriculture, fisheries, forestry and wood products, financing, tourism, health care and transportation. While the WealthWorks framework has been developed in the United States, it has attracted attention from international development organizations including ActionAid and Heifer International and has relevance to economic development challenges around the world.
View the WealthWorks video and learn more here: http://www.wealthworks.org/