Michael H. Shuman

Michael H. Shuman is Director of Research and Economic Development for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

An economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur, Shuman is one of the nation’s leading experts on community economics and the advantages of small-scale businesses in an era of globalization. He received an A.B. with distinction in economics and international relations from Stanford University in 1979 and a J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1982. From 1987 to 1990 he was a W. K. Kellogg National Leadership Fellow. He is also a member of both the State Bar of California and the District of Columbia Bar.

Shuman has authored, co-authored, or edited seven 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). The Small-Mart Revolutionreceived a bronze medal for best business book by the Independent Publishers’ Association.

He has recently completed three projects: One, funded by the McCune Foundation in New Mexico, analyzes the impacts of localizing the food system on the state’s economy and greenhouse gas emissions (www.dreamingnewmexico.org); one, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, identifies income tax and public spending inequities facing small business in 15 states; and one, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation, presents case studies of 24 local food businesses worldwide (www.communityfoodenterprise.org).

2 publications

A pedagogical tool

One case study

One public contribution