ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the structural forces that have shaped resource-dependent communities. These structural forces are portrayed through the global capitalist economy, as well as through the restructuring of public policy and investments that have transformed the capacity of institutions and stakeholders to renew and re-position resource-based economies. The chapter reconstructs the political economy of resource-based regions through our perspective as social geographers. Critical issues of colonialism, gender, aging, amenity migration, the creative class, and the restructuring of services have not only shaped social relations, but also the capacity to mobilize place-based assets and strengthen the quality of life in these places. Through this reflection of policy and community development issues, the chapter posits a series of actions and trajectories to retool and reorganize community stakeholders and assets to be more resilient and competitive in the 21st-century global economy.
