Community Wealth Building (CWB) is a globally recognized economic development model aimed at addressing deep-rooted systemic challenges faced by local, regional, and national economies.
It does so by examining how wealth is created, circulated, and distributed. Using a structured five-pillar model, CWB focuses on practical, intentional actions to keep more wealth within communities. This includes generating fair work opportunities, supporting the growth of local businesses and inclusive business models, and transferring more assets into the hands of local people and communities. The goal is to ensure that collective wealth serves people, places, and the planet more effectively.
The five pillars:
- Inclusive ownership - promoting employee-owned business, co-operatives, and social enterprises to ensure community wealth is generated and retained locally.
- Workforce – Increase and prioritize fair wages and foster local labour markets.
- Finance - Ensure investment flows and financial institutions cater to the needs of local people, businesses, and communities.
- Land and Property - Leverage land and property assets to create social, economic, and ecological value. Increase community ownership and benefit from land and property.
- Spending - Maximise community benefits through local procurement and commissioning.
CWB and the Wellbeing Economy in Scotland
The Scottish Government has adopted the internationally recognised Community Wealth Building (CWB) approach to economic development as a key practical means by which progress can be made towards realising our wellbeing economy vision outlined in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET). Several local authorities have already led the way participating in Scottish Government-supported pilots to create Community Wealth Building action plans, with similar work undertaken in local authorities across the country in advance of the forthcoming bill.
Improvement Service CWB Project
To support Scotland’s Community Wealth Building (CWB) journey, the IS Community Wealth Building Project is committed to helping local authorities implement CWB initiatives. It provides secretariat support for a Community Wealth Building Practitioners Network, facilitating knowledge-sharing and collaboration on common challenges. In addition to these efforts, the project seeks to deliver a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of CWB implementation across Scotland while strengthening connections between CWB and other policy areas.
To learn more about the project or collaborate, email mia.duncan@improvementservice.org.uk
We have produced an elected member briefing on Community Wealth Building and there are two useful presentations in the videos below.
For more information about Community Wealth Building, visit:
- Community wealth building in practice (CLES)
- Implementing Community Wealth Building: A Guide (Economic Development Association Scotland)
- Community wealth building (Democracy Collaborative)
- Community Wealth Building (Scottish Government)
- Community Wealth Building: Learning from International Experiences (Scotland's Rural College (SRUC))
- Community Wealth Building in Scotland: The Evolution of Policy and Practice (Scotland's Rural College (SRUC))