About

The Center for Labor & Community Research (CLCR) is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) non-profit working to rediscover, redefine, and rebuild advanced manufacturing in the knowledge economy. CLCR's vision is articulated in the book Building a Bridge to the High Road by executive director Dan Swinney (available in PDF and HTML).

Our approach is anchored in the reality of America's communities, and borrows as appropriate from best international practice in proposing comprehensive and practical solutions such as the experience of the Mondragon Cooperative Corporation in the Basque region in Spain; private and public partnerships in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy; and the educational programs in Germany, Denmark, and other countries.

In short, CLCR believes that High Road advanced manufacturing can build a socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable and restorative society. The environmental, economic, and social components are like three legs on a stool. Each is essential. Only with all three legs of sustainability can our society support the weight of necessary change. A commitment to sustainable development is essential to supporting the competitive advantage we need in advanced manufacturing.

When people's health improves, when they are well paid and secure, and when they are treated fairly, their creative potential is unstoppable. That's what development in Chicago -- and across the world -- is all about.