This article analyzes off-farm work among subsistence-level farmers in the Santarem region of the Brazilian Amazon. We build on the literature on rural livelihoods in the Global South by exploring how the opportunity to work off the farm is embedded in social relationships. We additionally differentiate our analysis by type of off-farm work, and…

This study focuses on the role of social ties and human capital in the integration of Latino immigrants into the local economy. This analysis extends earlier research by focusing on more rural contexts with limited labor-market opportunities and less access to social resources provided by coethnics. We reconsider conclusions of previous studies by…

Rural communities are increasingly being faced with the prospect of accepting facilities characterized as "opportunity-threat," such as facilities that generate, treat, store, or otherwise dispose of hazardous wastes. Such facilities may offer economic gains through jobs and tax revenue, although they may also act as environmental "disamenities."…

Human capital models assume residential mobility is both voluntary and opportunity-driven. Residential mobility of low income households, however, often does not fit these assumptions. Often characterized by short-distance, high frequency movement, poverty-related mobility may only deepen the social and economic instability that precipitated the…

Examines the gap in earnings between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan men and women in both 1977 and 1987. Shows that returns outweigh endowments in explaining that gap for both men and women, although their importance decreases over the 10-year period. Uses the 1977 Quality of Employment Survey and the 1988 Current Population Survey. (KS)

Retail farmers' markets are seen as key institutions in a more "civic agriculture," but little is known about how they promote small business entrepreneurship. Drawing on research in economic sociology and economic geography, this paper examines the role of social learning in vendor innovation. Data from a 1999 mail survey of farmers' market…

The well-being of residents of resource dependent communities is a question of traditional interest to rural sociologists. The label "resource dependent" obscures how this relationship may vary between particular resource industries, regions, or indicators of well-being. Few analyses have compared the relationship between well-being and resource…

Overview of the origins, development, rapid diffusion, and current usage of the concept of social capital in the literature. Focuses on three approaches to operationalizing the concept: those of James Coleman, Pierre Bourdieu, and Robert Putnam. Discusses social capital as a resource, as goal-oriented, and as a contributor to social control and…

This research focuses on pathways by which national level macro-social transformations are transmitted to local communities. Our case is Hungary where we examine the relationship between post-socialist economic restructuring, widespread industrial dislocations, and urban-rural migration. Using secondary data from the Hungarian Central Statistical…

Individualist and structuralist perspectives on poverty were integrated by examining the relationship between "people poverty" and "place poverty" in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas, using a multilevel framework. Both household compositional factors (including education) and contextual factors contributed to the nonmetro-metro difference in…

A rural Mississippi Delta study found that participation in subsistence activities was greater among whites, persons with higher income and education, and those from larger families, suggesting an element of lifestyle choice (rather than economic strategy). However, a subsistence lifestyle may deter youth from leaving to pursue higher education,…

Examines research relating farm size inversely to specialization and directly to farm-enterprise diversification. Develops model of farm management decision making. Tests model using survey examining land tenure, off-farm work, education, and environmental factors. Concludes diversification linked to farm size, human capital, and environmental…

We examine race and residential variation in the prevalence of female-headed households with children and how household composition is associated with several key economic well-being outcomes using data from the 2000 5% Public Use Microdata Sample of the U.S. Census. Special attention is paid to cohabiting female-headed households with children…

Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1985 wave) indicate that rural households have the highest probability of poverty, followed by metropolitan-core households. Household factors (educational attainment, family structure, age, minority status) and the local opportunity structure were important determinants of poverty, but controlling for…

Examines relationship between employment earnings and farm wives' decisions to work off-farm. Examines effects of wives' human capital, home factors, and labor market on work decisions and earnings. Education, experience, debt, and farm size were stronger influences on wives' decisions than on their earnings variations, once employed. (TES)