While the role of non-government agencies, particularly Memorial Universitys extension services in the 1960s and 1970s, has been important, traditionally, economic development in Newfoundland has been dominated by top-down approaches leaving limited opportunity for communities or regions to influence and control their own course of development. However, with The New Regional Economic Development approach introduced in 1995, the Newfoundland government has moved-more towards community-based economic development.For the new approach to be a success, one of the priorities is to have all parties buy into the idea of a community-based approach. Through use of a formal questionnaire and interviews directed to local key informants this thesis examines attitudes towards community economic development (CED) on the Isthmus of Avalon, Newfoundland. The methodology used is adapted from Smith (1997) who undertook a similar study on the Bonavista Headland, Newfoundland.The results from the Isthmus study are compared to those from the Bonavista Headland. The comparison is then used to discuss prospects for CED in the two areas, as well as the implications for the implementation of the Provinces new approach.