Few national level programs in the United States directly support both local development and education/training. Although both are needed to accomplish the desired goals of economic stability and low unemployment, distinctly different sets of policies exist for each, and because of limited federal resources, each program is in competition with the…

This document is the executive summary for a two volume report on technological innovation and southern rural industrial development. The first volume examines public and private factors that influence investment decisions in new technologies and the outcomes of those decisions; effects of automation on employment and the workplace; outcomes of…

During the second half of the 20th century, two-year colleges in the rural South were transformed from "junior" appendages of other institutions to community colleges that responded to the needs of local workers and businesses. This paper examines how the South's rural community colleges contribute to economic development today and what…

Some regional two-year and four-year colleges are moving beyond their traditional mission of education to take proactive roles in promoting the economic development of their regions and communities. A study of regional colleges that help rural businesses and labor forces adapt to the challenges of rural economies found five outstanding goals of…

Reviews gradual transition of rural vocational education from agricultural to industrial model, responding to societal change. Examines rural vocational education participation and its responsiveness to changes in technology and labor demands. Examines secondary and two-year postsecondary vocational education models as ways to serve rural economic…

These two volumes examine how the public sector can help revitalize southern rural counties adversely affected by global competition and technological advances. The first volume examines public and private factors that influence investment decisions in new technologies and outcomes of those decisions; effects of automation on employment and the…

This analysis of employment patterns in the American South extends a 1985 report, "After the Factories: Changing Employment Patterns in the Rural South," which was based on the years between 1977-1982. The 1985 report included Texas, but this analysis includes only the 12 Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB) member states. This new…

In the past, economic development in the rural United States, particularly in the rural South, relied principally on the attractiveness of a low-wage work force to mass-production manufacturing industries. Now however, the viability of the traditional mass-production economy's organizational structure and operating procedures has been eroded by…