Introduction to Community Development

Introduction to Community Development provides students of community and economic development with a theoretical and practical introduction to the field of community development. Bringing together leading scholars in the field of community development, the book follows the curriculum needs in offering a progression from theory to practice, beginning with a theoretical overview, an historical overview, and the various approaches to community development.

Author Biography

Jerry W. Robinson, Jr. is Distinguished Professor of Rural Sociology, Emeritus at Delta State University (DSU) and Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1994, Robinson accepted an endowed Chair in Economic and Community Development at DSU. At Delta State, he founded the Center for Community and Economic Development. He is known around the world for his creativity in developing and leading practical and multi-disciplinary programs in human relations, organizational development, and leadership and community development. He has written a dozen books on organizational development, human relations, stress and wellness, leadership and community development, and traffic safety. His research has been published in The ABA Journal, American Sociological Review, The Economic Development Review, The Community Development Journal, Rural Sociology, and Social Forces. Gary Paul Green is a professor in the Department of Community & Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a community development specialist in the Center for Community & Economic Development at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Green’s teaching and research interests are primarily in the areas of community and economic development. In addition to his work in the U.S., he has been involved in community and economic development research and teaching in China, New Zealand, South Korea, Uganda, and Ukraine.