According to Robert Pittman, “Definitions of community and economic development are parallel: community development produces assets for improving the quality of life and business climate, and economic development mobilizes these assets to realize the benefits of the community” (Pittman et al., 2009).
Four key economic concepts—scarcity, supply and demand, costs and benefits, and incentives—can help explain many decisions that humans make.
Community Economic Development's purpose is to revitalize communities, develop and rehabilitate affordable housing, promote sustainability, attract investments, build wealth, encourage entrepreneurship, and create jobs.
Economics is the social science that deals with factors of production, consumption of goods and services and resource management. Sociology is the study of human behaviour, development and how different human societies function under different organizational structures.
Those of higher SES have access to more health knowledge, better housing and nutrition, and better health care (Adler & Snibbe, 2003). Many of those of lower SES are exposed to more environmental hazards, either through their housing, i.e. lead or through their work, i.e. toxic fumes (APA, 2007).
Economists find a positive relationship between social cohesion and economic growth, on the basis that social cohesion improves formal and/or social institutions, which causally drives economic growth.
The field began with the observations of the earliest economists, such as Adam Smith, the Scottish philosopher popularly credited with being the father of economics—although scholars were making economic observations long before Smith authored The Wealth of Nations in 1776.
Economic sociology is the study of the relationship between society and the market. The field incorporates insights from economics, behavioral psychology, economic anthropology, and cultural anthropology.
A well-being economy provides people with equal opportunities for advancement, a sense of social inclusion, and stability—all of which contribute to human resilience—and, importantly, sustains and supports harmony with the natural world.
Economics affects our daily lives in both obvious and subtle ways. From an individual perspective, economics frames many choices we have to make about work, leisure, consumption and how much to save. Our lives are also influenced by macro-economic trends, such as inflation, interest rates and economic growth.