Learning Community Development Finance: Doing Development in Arkansas

Abstract

This thoughtful book review is a rich and fascinating case study of community development finance. The case study is based on ten years of work by an organization started in 1986, called Southern Development Bancorporation. Its aim was to revitalise one of the poorest counties in the United States. Criticism of the initiative is instructive, revealing more failure than success. It is instructive about the complexity of employing development finance in community and regional revitalization efforts in rural areas. Make sure you read this one in conjunction with the case study that follows: An Inch Wide & a Mile Deep by Joe Black.