Michael Shuman

Michael Shuman is director of research for Cutting Edge Capital, director of research and economic development at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), and a Fellow of Post Carbon Institute. He holds an AB with distinction in economics and international relations from Stanford University and a JD from Stanford Law School. He has led community-based economic-development efforts across the country and has authored or edited seven previous books, including The Small Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition (2006) and Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in the Global Age (1998).

In recent years, Michael has led community-based economic-development efforts in St. Lawrence County (NY), Hudson Valley (NY), Katahdin Region (ME), Martha’s Vineyard (MA), and Carbondale (CO), and served as a senior editor for the recently published Encyclopedia of Community. He has given an average of more than one invited talk per week for 25 years throughout the United States and the world.

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Counting room of the Bank of North Dakota

The Best Response to Tariff Wars? Declare Economic Independence

A realistic action goal for a community trying to survive tariffs is this: How can we move our economy more quickly toward the 90% self-reliance that’s economic, practical, and already happening?

April 11, 2025

local economy sign

Trump Is Not a Localist

In the coming months, I worry that the list of Trump’s affronts to localists will grow significantly longer. Sure, there will also be opportunities for localists. And when they arise—crowdfunding reforms, for example—we will advocate for them. But right now, dear localists, we need hypervigilance and clarity of thinking. We still have 1,423 days to go.

March 3, 2025

book cover

Global to Local: Who Has the Map? | Michael Shuman, Judy Wicks, and Richard Heinberg

How do we build strong local living economies for a post-carbon world? Tune into a stimulating conversation about how to move forward.

July 14, 2021

building

Comparative Resilience: 8 Principles for Post-COVID Reconstruction

We need a different way forward, what we might call the Theory of Comparative Resilience.  My basic proposition is simple:  Those communities that are best able to withstand future crises—whether pandemics, climate disruptions, or financial meltdowns—will be the ones that thrive economically. 

April 7, 2020

Top 10 Reasons to Read “Vermont Dollars, Vermont Sense”

Whether or not you live in Vermont this new handbook presents 28 specific tools for promoting local investment, and presents examples of people, initiatives, and programs in Vermont carrying out each of them.

August 31, 2015

Creating Local Wealth

 A recording of Michael Shuman’s talk to kick of New Economy Week.

October 21, 2013

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