Economic Research Report No. (ERR-131) 87 pp

March 2012

Rural Wealth Creation: Concepts, Strategies, and Measures

by John Pender, Alexander Marré, and Richard Reeder

This report presents a conceptual framework for rural wealth creation, drawing upon the U.S. and international development literature. The framework emphasizes the importance of multiple types of assets (physical, financial, human, intellectual, natural, social, political, and cultural capital) and the economic, institutional, and policy context in which rural wealth strategies are devised. The report discusses the role of wealth creation in the rural development process, how wealth can be created in rural communities, and how its accumulation and effects can be measured.

Keywords: wealth creation, rural development, regional development, community economic development, sustainable development, livelihoods, wealth indicators, conceptual framework

In this publication...