I'd rather have the expertise of Muhammad Yunus, founder and Managing Director of Graneen rural Bank with its loans of relatively small amounts of money or Anita Roddick of The Body Shop for helping at orphanages in Rumania than their money. The economic model creates wealth as opposed to the social model which re-distributes it. The economic model is about generating profit in the private sector rather than requiring subsidy from the public sector. The social model involves offering housing benefit and income support. Strategizing institutions such as governments offer subsidies and community funds in a vain attempt to solve problems such as those of the inner city.
Subsidies lead to subsistence.
We must stop trying to cure the inner city's problems by perpetually increasing social investment and hoping for economic activity to follow. Instead, an economic program would be aimed directly at economic development in order to develop a self-sustainable economic base with employment opportunities and income earning possibilities. Economically viable companies are needed, bringing opportunities and jobs with them. The majority of people located in inner cities are willing to work. Fortunately, as ever, the Web provides a low entry barrier means to establish a Web business by establishing an electronic community for say exchanging goods, partnering with other firms who want local content, and linking with other areas to generate wider information coverage.