Community economic development on the Bonavista headland : Newfoundland perception and practice

Smith, Brent T. (1997) Community economic development on the Bonavista headland : Newfoundland perception and practice. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

There are hundreds of small, single-industry fishing communities dotting the coastline of Newfoundland. The vulnerability of these communities became terribly apparent in 1992 when the Atlantic groundfish stocks, upon which so many of these communities depended, collapsed. The subsequent groundfish moratoria left some 32,000 fishers and plant workers in Newfoundland unemployed and called into question the very survival of nearly 400 small fishing communities. This thesis examines how people from seven different communities in one region of Newfoundland, the Bonavista Headland, are responding to the crisis through community economic development (CED) activities. -- The perceptions of local Key Development Players (KDPs) regarding how to achieve successful community development were identified using a combination of questionnaires and personal interviews. These perceptions were then compared with a normative model of successful CED which was developed from the relevant literature. Comparisons of CED approaches were also conducted among communities of different sizes and industrial function and among different groups of KDPs using decision tree analysis, a multivariate method of analyzing group differences. -- While there is some evidence of CED taking place on the Bonavista Headland, generally speaking most KDPs have not adopted the principles of community-based development. Many continue to see economic development as something which is done to a community rather than something done by the community. Significant differences were noted among KDPs with one group (development workers) standing out as the only group truly advocating the principles of CED. Far fewer differences were noted among the different communities in the study area.

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