Aspen Institute Publications
Aspen Institute publications are listed below. Many are available for purchase through Google Checkout, a secure system for handling credit card transaction online. For assistance with ordering publications, please contact our Publications office by email or by phone at (410) 820.5433. Please note: Orders are shipped two times a week from our warehouse in Queenstown, MD, on the Eastern Shore.
Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Programs: Interviews with Field Leaders
This publication shares research from interviews with leaders from 25 promising and innovative pre-apprenticeship programs from across the country. The interviews revealed factors that impact how programs are designed and how they might better be utilized as part of a broader workforce development strategy for the construction sector. The publication reviews program leaders’ perspectives on factors influencing the design of their programs, opportunities and challenges associated with financing the work, the merits of incorporating green elements into curricula, and other issues. WSI also makes several recommendations designed to promote workforce development policies that better support and assist these programs as they seek to develop a strong pipeline of employees for the construction industry. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the report is part of a project investigating how pre-apprenticeship programs are used to train low-income and disadvantaged adults for careers in construction.
Dollars for Dreams: Scaling Microlending in the United States
FIELD's latest publication discusses the experiences of five leading microfinance organizations, which participate in the Scale Academy for Microenterprise Development. It summarizes various strategies and tactics used by these lenders - including, among others, market research and marketing, new loan product development, structure and staffing, and identifying recession-ready strategies - to increase their microlending, even in the face of recent financial crises.
Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Programs: Results from a National Survey
This publication shares findings from a WSI-conducted survey of pre-apprenticeship programs in the construction trades. Based on responses from 260 programs nationwide, the report presents information about program size, services offered, populations served, funding sources, and successes and challenges in placing trainees in apprenticeships or jobs. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the impetus for the project was a desire to explore the capacity of the workforce system to prepare individuals – particularly low-income and minority jobseekers – for jobs in the construction industry. It is hoped that the report will contribute to discussions about the need for investment in skills training and about ways to ensure that apprenticeships and construction-related jobs are open to more low-income, minority and women candidates.
Approaches to CDFI Sustainability
This paper, written under a grant from the CDFI Fund’s Research Initiative, examined sustainability of the CDFI field within the context of increasing industry scale and the use of subsidy. Authors used quantitative analysis, a survey of industry practitioners, and a series of case studies to explore the state of sustainability in the field. Collaborating on the project were staff from EOP and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, as well as Aspen/EOP Senior Fellows Greg Ratliff, William Myers and Fred Mendez, and independent consultant Alan Okagaki.
10 Scale Case Studies and additional diagrams
To better understand the dynamics inherent in reaching scale, a series of 10 case studies were developed.
Achieving Scale in Asset Building
Operational Challenges and Opportunities from Individual Development Account Programs.
Affordable Housing: Systems for Production, Finance and Community Development
This 57-frame PowerPoint presentation reviews the history and evolution of local affordable housing production and finance systems.
Asian Neighborhood Design: A Case Study of a Sectoral Employment Development Approach
This case study examines Asian Neighborhood Design, a community development corporation with a strong focus on the building sector.
Changing Capital Markets and Their Implications for Community Development Finance
This article summarizes research from the Community Development Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative. Read article.
