<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In the United States, the rise in income inequality and downward intergenerational social mobility since the 1970s represent twin problems facing community and economic development today. This paper proposes a <italic>Structure of Labor</italic> theory to apply at the local and regional level to address these development challenges. The objective is to provide a simple local approach to development that maximizes upward economic mobility and enables individuals and communities to achieve their development goals in the 21st century development landscape of the United States. The proposed theory fuses free-enterprise principles with state-planned dirigiste efforts to maximize the best of both theoretical perspectives. After reviewing pertinent literature and articulating the Structure of Labor theory, the latter sections of the paper explicate its implications for community and economic development practice.</p>
</abstract>

In the United States, the rise in income inequality and downward intergenerational social mobility since the 1970s represent twin problems facing community and economic development today. This paper proposes a Structure of Labor theory to apply at the local and regional level to address these development challenges. The objective is to provide a simple local approach to development that maximizes upward economic mobility and enables individuals and communities to achieve their development goals in the 21st century development landscape of the United States. The proposed theory fuses free-enterprise principles with state-planned dirigiste efforts to maximize the best of both theoretical perspectives. After reviewing pertinent literature and articulating the Structure of Labor theory, the latter sections of the paper explicate its implications for community and economic development practice.

Structure of Labor: Toward a New Theory of Community and Economic Development

Studia Humana

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Structure of Labor: Toward a New Theory of Community and Economic Development"}

In the United States, the rise in income inequality and downward intergenerational social mobility since the 1970s represent twin problems facing community and...

Structure of Labor: Toward a New Theory of Community and Economic Development

Published Online: Dec 16, 2023

Page range: 50 - 76

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sh-2023-0020

Keywords
Community development, economic development, free enterprise, dirigiste planning, labor, capital, land use, public goods, access, mobility

© 2023 Joseph J. Hyde, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Structure of Labor: Toward a New Theory of Community and Economic Development

Published Online: Dec 16, 2023

Page range: 50 - 76

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sh-2023-0020

KeywordsCommunity development, economic development, free enterprise, dirigiste planning, labor, capital, land use, public goods, access, mobility

© 2023 Joseph J. Hyde, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Community development, economic development, free enterprise, dirigiste planning, labor, capital, land use, public goods, access, mobility