Research and Studies

Studies

A growing body of economic studies have confirmed the value to communities of their locally owned businesses, the importance of choosing local first, and the impact of Local First campaigns on the economic health of communities.

• Click here to view an annotated list of recent studies and their findings.

Books

Books we recommend:

THE SMALL-MART REVOLUTION: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition, by Michael H. Shuman

GOING LOCAL: Building Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age, by Michael H. Shuman

DEEP ECONOMY: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, by Bill McKibben

AGENDA FOR A NEW ECONOMY: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth, by David C. Korten

THE GREAT TURNING: From Empire to Earth Community, by David C. Korten

FIELDS OF PLENTY, by Michael Abelman

ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, MIRACLE: A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver

PLENTY: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, by Alisa
Smith, J.B. Mackinnon

THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan

SMALL GIANTS: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, by Bo Burlingham

THE COMPANY WE KEEP: Reinventing Small Business for People, Community, and Place, by John Abrams

COMPANIES WE KEEP: Employee Ownership and the Business of Community and Place, by John Abrams

GROWING LOCAL VALUE: How to Build Business Partnerships That Strengthen Your
Community, by Laury Hammel and Gun Denhart

BIG-BOX SWINDLE: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s
Independent Businesses, by Stacy Mitchell

AMERICA BEYOND CAPITALISM: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy, by Gar Alperovitz

BUILDING POWERFUL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: A Personal Guide to
Creating Groups That Can Solve Problems and Change the World, by Michael Jacoby Brown

GREEN ALTERNATIVES TO GLOBALISATION: A Manifesto, by Michael Woodin and Caroline Lucas.