Downtowns have experienced decline since the 1990s in Japan and several strategies have been implemented to deal with it. This research focuses on one of such strategies-the Town Management Organization (TMO) model. Although the model was expected to achieve downtown revitalization through...

Community development loan funds (CDLFs) play a critical role in financing affordable housing, small businesses, and non-profit organizations in low-income communities throughout the US. Since the 2008 financial crisis disrupted CDLFs' primary sources of capital-banks and foundations-many CDLFs...

Local independent businesses are critical to the economic health and quality of life of communities. This thesis examines whether marketing can motivate people to consciously and reliably support local independent businesses in their community. The first chapter provides an introduction to the...

Following the 1998 financial crisis, four out of every ten people slipped into poverty, not able to meet basic needs. Luckily, post-crisis economic rebound was impressive and broad-based, albeit uneven across sectors and regions. This title explores the nature of poverty, both nationally and...

Myanmar has an important opportunity to improve the health status and education outcomes of its people after decades of underspending and institutional neglect in the social sectors. Low access to health, education and social protection services has severely worsened human development outcomes,...

Globalization has brought about a major shift in our understanding of how companies organize themselves and how they compete. The fragmentation of firms in their scope and structure, the vertical disintegration of firms through greater outsourcing, and the rise of global supply and value chains...