Leadership training as an alternative to neoliberalism: A model for community development

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, cities have experienced dwindling state resources and growing socioeconomic inequalities—many scholars have identified this change as neoliberalism. Although these changes have generated much debate, not a lot of scholarship has tried to present alternatives. This article uses the Westside Leadership Institute (WLI) in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a case study to understand what can be done at low cost to address historically disadvantaged communities and improve their conditions. Through leadership development, participants develop cognitive, interpersonal, and strategic skills. They also form a symbiotic relationship with anchor institutions, a Community Development Corporation and the University of Utah. Using data from interviews, focus groups, and surveys, this article examines how residents have applied what they learned in the WLI to create social change at the local level. Although small-scale community development, the WLI has proven to be effective at building and sustaining indigenous leaders, who in turn push a progressive agenda forward.

KEYWORDS:

• Community development corporations
• leadership
• neoliberalism
• university-community relations
• community development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. An association in the ABCD context are community groups where most volunteers do the everyday work instead of paid staff (e.g., a church, a block club, a neighborhood association, etc.)(García, 2020).

2. Anchor institutions are organizations that serve as resources (relationships, time, money, etc.) in the neighborhoods they are rooted through collaborative partnerships such as CPUs and CDCs and are those that are driven by their mission of improving communities (Brackmann, 2015; Delgado, 2008; Perry, 2017).