News From the Trenches!
Stratford, ON (May 20, 2010) — A provincial board in Ontario has upheld the city of Stratford's decision to reject proposals for a cluster of new stores, including a Wal-Mart supercenter, ruling that the proposals "are neither in the public interest nor represent good planning."
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Eagle, CO (Jan. 5, 2010) — Voters in Eagle, Colorado, soundly defeated a proposed big-box lifestyle center yesterday in an election that saw the highest turnout in town history.
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| Social and Civic Well-Being |
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Wal-Mart reduces a community's level of social capital, which has implications for civic participation and economic growth, this study found.
The presence of a Wal-Mart store reduces a community's level of social capital, this study found. The study examined communities that had or gained Wal-Mart stores in the 1990s and controlled for other variables known to affect social capital stocks in a community, such as educational attainment. "Both the initial number of [Wal-Mart] stores and each store added per 10,000 persons during the decade reduced the overall social capital measure," Goetz and Rupasingha found. Communities that gained a Wal-Mart had fewer non-profit groups and social capital-generating associations (such as churches, political organizations, and business groups) per capita than those that did not. Wal-Mart's presence also depressed civic participation and is associated with lower voter turnout in the 2000 presidential election. Goetz and Rupasingha hypothesize that the drop in social capital is owned to the disappearance of local businesses and the decline of the downtown following Wal-Mart's arrival. |