Although there is a great need for field workers in the process of social change in underdeveloped countries, there are several weaknesses in the field worker system: inadequate supply, narrow range of competence, inadequate quality control, and inflexible learning situations. In order to expand the reach and breadth of such non-formal education…

If the path to a better rural life is to be a change preferred by the rural people involved, recent world experience would suggest that it must be a change born from within the given rural social system, be controlled by its beneficiaries, and be integrated into the larger system of which it is a part. Such a perspective and such a process might…

The continuing transition of rural development from its old to present day form is discussed, treating varied perceptions of its goals and the continuing resolution of approaches through legislation and appropriations. Some of the goals are community development, human resources development, natural resources preservation, and a more equitable…

Government agencies should investigate alternative service delivery systems in rural areas in order to overcome the problems of scope and distance. In examining alternative technologies, questions of feasibility, efficiency and effectiveness should be addressed. Numerous experiments, demonstrations, random innovations, and research studies have…

This paper examines the extent to which rural America is digital--has access to the Internet and to newer technologies such as wireless broadband--and discusses rural supply and demand for "going digital." Supply aspects include issues of both infrastructure and public policy. Demand aspects include entrepreneurs (business users) and…

Much of today's rural America will be the fastest growing part of the nation in the next half century. The spread of large cities and the creation of new ones, the addition of almost 30 million senior citizens, and immigration into rural areas are powerful forces contributing to the development of rural America. Rural areas are competitive in a…

Investigations of the linkages between improved schools and local economic development are rare. This paper considers several models that introduce human capital as a potential source of economic growth in the rural South. Results from various econometric models indicate that across the South, county per capita income growth rates from 1970 to…

Discusses the need for and the difficulties in providing rural development and education programs for rural workers in Latin America and suggests linking adult education with community associative enterprises. Low income rural workers maintain membership by contributing their work to the enterprise and receive goods according to their…

Alaska's efforts toward sustainable development include protecting the subsistence lifestyle by involving indigenous people in stakeholder decisions about whaling and fishing quotas and offshore oil drilling; developing rural energy, water, and sewage infrastructures; using telecommunications to bring health care and education to remote areas; and…

This paper examines the notion of reciprocal school-community development in Third World countries. Information on village schools in Sri Lanka and Senegal were gathered from interviews and observation. Tanzania is an example of a country that took radical steps to integrate schools within their respective communities in order to foster rural…

A mini-conference on rural schools and community development brought together experts in rural community, rural education, and economic development to brainstorm ideas for collaborative projects and produce a helpful conceptual design for use both by rural communities and their schools. This document offers a synthesis and overview of the experts'…

Blacks and Hispanics in rural America face opportunities and life circumstances distinctively different from their urban counterparts. Not only are rural conditions generally worse than urban areas in job opportunity, social services, and human capital, but the problem of inequity is also more severe within rural areas than within urban areas.…

Communities with a flexible, open leadership structure may weather energy booms better than communities with old-guard leadership cliques, according to a study of community governance in two small Texas towns. Although similar in location, ethnic composition, population, access to transportation, economic base, and importance in the county,…

In this address, statistical data from the Ethiopian National Census (1984) and a brief account of the development of the nation from feudal rule to democratic republic are followed by a discussion of characteristics of the modern Ethiopian state. Particular attention is given to the administrative apparatus, multiethnic composition, sociocultural…

This paper offers definitions and descriptions, and explores the dynamics, of "strategic grantseeking" as a means of supporting economic development programs. Strategic grantseeking is a natural and dynamic tool usable with any economic development program. It consists of a set of concepts, procedures, and tools which are integrated into…