Not even 1 percent of Americans’ long-term savings are invested locally, largely because it’s just not possible under the current system. But what would our towns look like if a larger fraction of this $30 trillion were in local economies? Local businesses account for half of the jobs and economic output in the U.S., so the effect could be important. During Orion‘s latest live web event, Michael Shuman, author of the new book Local Dollars, Local Sense, discussed innovative ways that citizens can improve their local economies while growing their own bank accounts.
Strengthening Local Economies: Michael Shuman on Investing in Small Businesses – web event
By Michael Shuman, originally published by Orion Magazine
March 26, 2012
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.
Request an interview
Request as a speaker
View Michael’s speaking terms.
Tags: building resilient economies, local investing, relocalization
Related Articles
At the mouth of the Red Sea, the chokepoint where global crises converge
By Rachel Ainsworth, Societal Dynamics (SoDy)
Historically, the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have been a strategic region for trade and political dominance; today, we are still shaped by their influence as we remain fragilely interconnected.
September 25, 2026
Preserving labor history in the present, for the future
By Marianne Dhenin, YES! magazine
Labor activists take steps to preserve the documents and strategies they use today, so future organizers will have a practical guide.
September 8, 2026
Unions have been down before, history shows how they can come back
By George Lakey, Waging Nonviolence
Two ways we can honor unions at this time of trial are to ask others to join union picket lines and to learn from their innovations and successes for whatever campaigns we are committed to today.
September 7, 2026






Comments
We changed commenting systems on September 10, 2026 as part of a site-wide functionality and security upgrade. Your past comments have not disappeared, and you can still log in with your old Disqus account credentials if you wish. Contact us with any questions.