Communities & Banking
Spring 2012 
Credentials that Work: Innovations in Labor-Market Information
Job-creation initiatives need good information about what skills are in demand. A program that searches want ads supplements traditional labor-market information.
Getting Community Input: A Better Way to Plan and Grow
What is the value of a visioning process? For one thing, a town’s planning decisions get more buy-in when residents know they have been heard. The author describes three successes.
Gleaning: Capturing Surplus to Meet Local Needs
Excess produce often gets plowed under despite food banks’ need for fresh vegetables. Enter the ancient art of gleaning, which ensures that good but unsold food gets to hungry families.
Infrastructure Investment Begins with Children
Early childhood education may be the highest-return public investment, but the condition of poor neighborhoods’ child-care centers undermines effectiveness. A new study offers solutions.
Making Cuts in State Aid More Equitable
Revenue shortfalls have forced states to cut aid to municipalities. The authors suggest a way to make cuts without dismantling years of efforts to help the neediest communities.
The Growth of Latino Small Businesses in Providence
A positive trend recorded before the financial crisis—when Providence’s Latino-owned businesses grew in number from 731 in 1997 to 2,999 in 2007—may hold promise for the future.