Rural Research Report v.24 i.1: Connecting Community Assets with Market Demand for Lasting Livelihoods

Tags: Best Practices, Community Economic Development, Measurement, Systems Thinking, Tool Development, Value Chains, Wealth Creation

Client Name: Western Illinois University

Location: Illinois

Resource Type: Article

Author Org: Yellow Wood Associates, Dynamica Consulting

Author: Melissa Levy, Barbara Wyckoff

Year: 2014

This paper, featured in the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs’ Rural Research Report (Spring 2014, Volume 24, Issue 1), provides an overview of the WealthWorks approach and its tools, including the WealthWorks value chain construct and the wealth matrix with its focus on planning and measuring impacts and outcomes on multiple forms of wealth. The paper also uses the work of the Arkansas Green Energy Network and its biofuels value chain as an example to illustrate WealthWorks concepts.