This report analyzes how sectoral networks, a fairly recent innovation in microenterprise development in the United States, facilitate the establishment of formal and informal alliances between firms producing similar products or services.  The programs profiled are: Rural Ohio's Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) Food Ventures program; and the Chicago-based Women's Business Development Center's (WBDC) Apparel Roundtable. The report describes each program's technical assistance, mentorship, and networking services and how the programs affect job creation, increased sales, and improved entrepreneurial capacity.

Between 1990 and 1996 there was a large increase in the number of lower-income home buyers in the Chicago region. This good news is tempered by the facts of where these households were able to purchase homes. Most of them bought in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Unless lower-income buyers have a choice of homes throughout the six-county region, they will not gain the full benefits of homeownership.

Analyzes job patterns in the Chicago Empowerment Zone (EZ), examining demographics of those who work in the EZ, the number of EZ jobs held by EZ residents, and the work locations of EZ residents. The report provides examples of efforts in Chicago and around the country aimed at linking neighborhood residents to nearby jobs and calls for increased attention to the barriers between jobs and residents in low-income urban areas.

Profiles model small business lending programs around the country that target modest-income communities. Examples include bank-community partnerships, specialized bank units, multibank efforts, government-administered programs, and CDFIs. The report also offers lessons for effectively reaching underserved markets.

This report uses public court files to document the loan terms, conditions, and litigation tactics of one of the largest payday lenders in Illinois. The findings are based on a sample of 444 debt collection cases filed against payday loan customers.

This paper takes advantage of an unusually detailed family and youth survey conducted by the Institute for the Study of Work and Society (IETS) in Rio de Janeiro in the low-income community of Caju close to downtown Rio. It describes the weak educational background of Caju youth and some of the reasons for that weakness. The results emphasize the precarious nature of low-income youth’s educational achievements and their attachment to the job market. They also demonstrate the wide variance in youth characteristics even in a single low-income neighborhood.

Produced under contract with Bethel New Life, this report describes how Bethel developed programs that reduce lead hazards in homes, educated the public about the dangers of lead poisoning, and trained and employed local residents.

Describes some of the key features of the proposed 1994 CRA regulation and the advantaages and disadvantages.