Presents a brief overview of four sociological theories concerning rural-urban differences: classical, determinist, compositional, and subcultural. Draws implications and applications for social workers and human service personnel. Suggests development of a typology which would include such components as theoretical orientation, roles of workers,…

Three metropolitan and five rural counties in Washington State were studied to determine relationships between budget change decisions--particularly expenditure decreases--and public service consequences. Demographic, economic, social, and budget data for 1979-1982 from census sources, state and county agency reports, and 214 questionnaire…

Some local governments in nonmetro areas--especially those in the rural West and in very rural areas--experienced high levels of fiscal stress in the mid-seventies that were associated with high and rising local taxes. These local governments may be forced to cut back their rural development activities in the eighties. Fiscal pressures on local…

Responses from 27 State offices on aging revealed 8 recurring problems of rural and small-town elderly: a need for a uniform legislative definition of rural; the need for a complete rural strategy to reverse discrimination against rural and small-city elderly; a need to streamline Federal regulations; the need for changes in the Older Americans…

Reports results of a 1982 survey of suburban and rural local governments in Maryland, which showed that cable television in rural areas is generally inferior to that in the suburbs, providing less revenue for local governments and poorer services. Advises local officials how to improve their current cable arrangements. (JHZ)

A structural approach which focuses on social and economic conditions under which poverty exists and which de-personalizes causes is used to study the extent and trends of poverty in general and Maine in particular. The 1980 Census reported that 13% of Maine's population was poor, but since income in Maine is generally low many people fall in and…

Provides extensive information about where nonmetro governments get their revenue and how they spend it. Shows that between 1977 and 1982 nonmetro local governments raised additional revenue from local sources, increasing the fiscal pressure on their communities. Graphs compare metro and nonmetro revenues, spending, and debt. (JHZ)

Based on the 1979 Annual Housing Survey, the elderly--especially the rural elderly--are more likely than other groups to live in inadequate housing. Housing was defined as inadequate if it had one or more of the following flaws: incomplete plumbing facilities, incomplete kitchen facilities, leaking roof, holes in walls or ceilings, and exposed…

Using five key indicators of nutritional status (dietary intake, biochemical tests for circulating levels of nutrients or their metabolites, anthropometric measures, low birth weight and infant mortality rates, and food, health, and income assistance program participation rates and benefit levels), this 1-year research project identified national,…

Examines general demographic, social, and economic situation of older rural people and how their conditons do or do not differ from those of older urbanites. Contrasts migration trends, living arrangements, income, housing, transportation, communication, and health. Figures and tables provide population, residency, living arrangement, and poverty…

Social workers in rural midwestern areas such as Iowa must consider distinctive characteristics of the poor in those areas to help clients within the framework of family and community. Characteristics of rural poor include presence of father in family, residence in small towns with a single industry, presence of high numbers of female elderly,…

The studies compiled in this book analyze the effects of gender on the well-being of individuals and households in Mexico. Analyses examine gender issues over the life cycle, including education and child labor, adult urban and rural labor participation, and the situation of elderly Mexican men and women. Following an introduction by Elizabeth…

The differential interest costs to rural governments associated with borrowing in the tax-exempt bond market is a function of the advantageous position of several large partially rural counties and the dominance of school district borrowing in rural communities, rather than a disadvantage of predominantly rural governments. This conclusion is the…

Focusing on law enforcement agents and taxpayers at the local level, this two-part report examines facts about crime in the United States and reports results of a survey conducted to determine attitudes about crime and police protection. Part One presents facts and issues related to types of crime, crime statistics, the extent of crime, trends in…

This book presents research findings and information about school violence, with a focus on strategies for increasing school safety. Articles in the book come from a special edition of the journal Rural Special Education Quarterly, a publication of the American Council on Rural Special Education. The articles have been rewritten to address issues…