Social Side of Economic Development (SED)

Understanding the Intersection of Social and Economic Outcomes

Economic developers are increasingly asked to engage with issues such as housing, workforce participation, health, inclusion, infrastructure, and community well-being. While these topics are often viewed as social challenges, they also have significant economic implications that affect workforce attraction, business growth, investment readiness, and long-term community prosperity.

The Social Side of Economic Development (SED) is designed to help economic development practitioners understand where social and economic issues intersect and determine the most appropriate role economic development can play. Using the Purple Paradigm© framework, participants will explore how social conditions influence economic outcomes and learn practical approaches for deciding when to lead, collaborate, advocate, or defer to organizations with deeper expertise.

The course examines five key overlap areas where social and economic outcomes are closely connected: health, housing, diversity and inclusion, infrastructure, and workforce development. Participants will explore how these issues affect community competitiveness, resilience, talent attraction, business success, and quality of life while strengthening their ability to work effectively across sectors and build meaningful partnerships.

Rather than turning economic developers into social service providers, this course helps practitioners understand where they can add value, contribute strategically, and support community outcomes without overextending their mandate. It provides practical tools for integrating social considerations into planning, engagement, partnership development, and performance measurement while maintaining a clear economic development focus.

This is an optional course within the Community Economic Development Certificate Program. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES