Foundations For the Future: Empowerment Economics in the Native Hawaiian Context

This report offers rare insight into the challenges and opportunities of building wealth in Native Hawaiian communities, and fills a gap in research by shedding light on a group whose strengths and struggles are uniquely reflective of both indigenous histories and Asian Pacific Islander experiences.
Announcements: Publications & Briefs Oct 9, 2017

Foundations For the Future: Empowerment Economics in the Native Hawaiian Context

by National CAPACD
October 2017

The Foundations for the Future Report is a case study focused on Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA), and demonstrates how the organization worked closely with its members and partners to build wealth in Native Hawaiian communities through financial capability programming. The authors introduce the term Empowerment Economics to categorize this process and expand upon current approaches to financial capability. On the surface, what HCA offers to families is a classic financial capability program. But digging deeper into their approach, we found the seeds of empowerment economics in how these services and educational opportunities are designed, implemented in the community, and spread across generations.

Read the full report here.