We are joined by Michael Shuman, who is the Director for Research and Economic Development with the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.  Michael is also the author of seven books, including the Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition.

In this episode, we discuss the de-facto economic development policy of most state, county, and municipal governments around the United States, which is designed to favor large, non-local business at the expense of small, localized, import substituting businesses.  We discuss how this plays out in policy and practice, and also address research regarding the impact of small business as an economic development engine.

If you are looking to build a solid case for relocalizing the economy in your community, the information in this interview is very important.

Useful links:

BALLE — Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

Small-Mart.org

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