Community Wealth Building: Approaches relevant to rural and island communities

What were we trying to find out? In this review we considered how community wealth building (CWB) can be applied in a rural and island context. The Scottish Government has made a strong commitment to explore the potential for CWB to deliver inclusive growth, including through the National Strategy for Economic Transformation, planning reform and commitments relating to land reform.

What did we do? We reviewed a range of academic and other evidence relating to CWB from Scotland and beyond, with a particular focus on the rural and island implications of taking a CWB approach.

What did we learn? To date CWB research and practice has mainly focused on urban contexts (such as Preston in the UK), and academic work remains at an early stage, particularly in relation to rural and island contexts, where other concepts such as community development and empowerment have tended to be more commonly used. When implemented in rural and island locations, its five core principles (progressive procurement, fair employment and just labour markets, shared ownership of the local economy, socially just use of land and property, and making financial power work for local places) may bring different challenges and opportunities.