The discussion of a competent community is not complete without some attention to the local economy. Our capacity to be prosperous is increased by the existence of supportive purchasing habits of a community…. We know that strong neighborhoods are ones with a functioning locally owned business district. There is a corollary in economics that fits with the gift-mindedness and ethos of abundance that are essential for a competent community. In most conventional theories of economics is an assumption that for there to be value, there must be scarcity. That assumption is part of what keeps us addicted to consumption. It means we have to remake our economy into one that supports the citizen and makes the consumer a secondary consideration. This is a big shift.
John McKnight & Peter Block
The Abundant Community
