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Local economic development (LED) is a place-based planning approach. Global best practices and research focus on different contemporary marketing strategies to harness local resources for economic growth. The theoretical evolution of LED can be divided into two categories: the era before and the era after the emergence of sustainable and smart development. Many theories developed during these eras had themes/components focused on advancing LED, with each theory contributing a new idea to understanding the existing local economic structure. This research focuses on the contributions of, and connections between, different economic theories with the ambition of creating a comprehensive understanding of local economic structure. This paper advances ‘Economic DNA’ as one way to conceptualize and understand LED. The research amalgamates fourteen theories related to LED to present a theoretical foundation for “economic DNA theory”. The overarching question that this research tries to answer is do cities have a unique economic DNA that significantly impacts the city's direction of growth. If yes, what constitutes its economic DNA, and how robust is the DNA to change/mutation over time?

This book provides a straightforward, student-focused introduction to doing mixed methods research, covering everything from why and when mixed methods is appropriate, as well as how to use qualitative and quantitative methods in tandem. Assuming no prior research methods knowledge, it introduces mixed methods alongside basic research theory and principles, fully integrating mixed methods into the research methods foundation. With clearly defined key terms and a structure that maps to the way students work on their projects, it progresses at a gradual pace suitable for mixed methods beginners. Offering encouragement and tips for success throughout the full research process, Hall helps students confidently: - Explain mixed methods paradigms and methodologies - Define and choose a research approach - Combine methods effectively - Sample, collect, and analyze primary and secondary data - Communicate and write up results. Packed with tables, figures, and boxes that distill key concepts into retainable visuals, this book is the perfect companion to support students on their mixed methods projects.

This study is one of the first to explore how blockchain technology (BCT) could be used to improve food security in communities that are reliant on agriculture but are the last to receive services or access to markets, known as the ‘last-mile’. The goal was to determine how BCT could contribute to improving the income of African indigenous vegetable (AIV) value chain actors (e.g., producers, traders, and retailers) and to the affordability, availability, and accessibility of nutritious foods like AIVs for consumers. It finds that BCT can simultaneously strengthen the functionality of an entire agri-food value chain by increasing the efficiency of transactions among value chain actors, improving cooperation along the value chain, and enhancing access to information. A decrease in post-harvest loss, reduction in negotiation and search costs, and traceability of Grade A vegetables were facilitated by the blockchain functionality of the AgUnity V3 SuperApp. Producer income was improved by better meeting market demand, time savings on AIV activities, increasing the supply of Grade A vegetables, and making information on the vegetables more available to consumers. Increased incomes led to improved food security among producers by facilitating their ability to procure more food, especially higher quality proteins and fruits. Participants and consumers reported an increase in the consumption of AIVs over the study period because of increased quality, availability, and awareness of their nutritional importance.