Renewing Hope within Neighborhoods of Despair

Herbert J. Rubin is Professor of Sociology at Northern Illinois University. He is the author of Applied Social Research and The Dynamics of Development in Rural Thailand and coauthor (with Irene Rubin) of Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data and Community Organizing and Development.

"…this book is a 'must' for urban and community development researchers, practitioners, and activists and the libraries that serve them." — CHOICE"Renewing Hope within Neighborhoods of Despair is an extraordinarily valuable book that is well situated within the scholarly literature and speaks to what is now a hot debate: what is the potential of community-based development organizations (CBDOs) to revitalize inner cities? No one has gathered this kind of ethnographic data on what exactly developmental activists do, how they view their activities, and how they attempt to surmount the contradictory pressures that press in on them. The book is a fascinating argument that those who control the resources do not necessarily control the agenda. As such, it is good medicine for a very cynical age." – Todd Swanstrom, coauthor of City Politics: Private Power and Public Policy"I like the comprehensive nature of this book. It truly covers A to Z on this topic, something that has not been done to my knowledge. It is important, very innovative, and exciting." – Edward G. Goetz, coeditor of The New Localism: Comparative Urban Politics in a Global Era

• List of Tables Preface 1. Working in the Niche: The Community-Based Development Model 2. Negotiating an Environment for Community Renewal 3. Confronting Ideological Tensions 4. Responding to the Public Sector 5. Interacting with Intermediaries, Foundations, and Other Support Organizations 6. Being a Conscience and a Carpenter: An Organic Theory of Community-based Development 7. The Art of Leveraging 8. Building a Movement by Creating an Industry 9. Creating a Common Culture within the Community Development Movement 10. Traditional and Coalition Advocacy 11. Structuring Complex Interorganizational Systems Appendix: Learning to Hear and Hearing to Learn: Discussions of Research Methodology Notes Bibliography Index