Economic shocks are sudden events causing a significant impact on the local economy. Disaster community literature predicts that community outcomes from shocks will depend on the kind of shock. Consensus crisis shocks will be followed by increases in social capital and quality of life. Corrosive community shocks will result in declines in these…

Perceptions of local social dimensions are hypothesized to be more efficient predictors of community satisfaction than are perceptions of services. To test this, a mail-questionnaire study of residents of small Iowa communities was conducted. Correlation and regression analyses suggested that social dimensions relate to three…

This study extends ideas of environmental equity to large-scale hog operations. We investigate counties in 17 hog producing states to determine whether large-scale hog operations are more likely to be sited and expanded in areas that have a disproportionate number of Black, Hispanic, and/or economically disadvantaged residents. The data for this…

Iowa study of 207 nonmetropolitan White female-headed families (each a divorced mother, an adolescent in grade 8-9, and a sibling) found that mothers' ineffective parenting styles were related to community disorganization, both directly and indirectly via negative events, lack of social support, and depression. Community disorganization was highly…

Survey of 1,040 Iowa farm operators found persons most at risk of forced displacement from farming were younger, better educated, large-scale operators who leveraged assets during the 1970's. Analysis linked financial hardship with perceived changes in quality of life, personal/familial stress, and family-life patterns. Discusses implications for…