Unemployment rates vary considerably across nonmetro counties, where adjusted average annual unemployment rate was 12.2% in 1984 compared with 10.4% in metro areas. Differences in unemployment rates among nonmetro areas can be explained in part according to their dependence on agriculture, mining, manufacturing, or other single sources of income.…

Examines economic, social, and fiscal indicators available from federal data sources that can be used in classification systems for rural school districts. Compares the strengths and weaknesses of the various indicators. Recommends that researchers use multiple indicators or alternative data sources to mitigate potential problems of unintentional…

Since the 1970s, Tamworth has become well known as Australia's "country music capital". Its annual Country and Western Music Festival has become the leading event of its type in Australia, attracting over 60,000 visitors every year. The festival, and country music more generally, have become central to the town's identity and tourism…

This report describes the Colorado Rural Revitalization Project (CRRP) and the participant rural communities between 1988-1991. The CRRP, established in 1988, consists of a partnership among rural Colorado communities, Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.…

The proliferation of community power structure studies and their results have led many social researchers to the conclusion that the principle explanation for many diverse findings rests with the disciplinary bias of the researchers. The purpose of this study was to make some tentative effort at explaining power structure characteristics as a…

When examining the employment opportunities in rural "surplus" labor markets, it was found that a much greater labor supply is available in rural areas than is apparent from unemployment data. Furthermore, the "broad or elastic concept" of labor supply is more relevant to rural labor markets than the "narrow concept" of labor supply which measures…

For effective crisis intervention, the rural social worker must consider various factors specific to the rural community, e.g., knowledge of rural helping networks and core rural values, structure of kinds of crises likely encountered, and successful methods of intervention. (JHZ)

After discussing theories of attitude change, recommends that mental health workers overcome the negative attitudes of rural communities toward mental health programs by forming positive, personal, affective bonds with rural community members. Presents strategies for establishing and maintaining these bonds in private life, clinical work, and…

This paper is part of a broader study considering effects of welfare reform on households in rural areas. This report describes the findings of qualitative research, which examined welfare reform implementation and availability of services in 12 rural communities in Alabama, Arkansas, California, and Maine. The study sites were diverse in terms of…

Discusses need to adapt urban models to communities of low population density, particularly in operational areas of personnel selection, program development, community-staff relationship and program content. (CJ)

Counselors working in isolated areas like Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula need special characteristics and the ability to relate to the community as a whole. Counselors must rely on personal resources and be familiar with individual and group counseling techniques to succeed, especially if they are the only counselor available. (JAC)

Examines whether the Internet will be an equalizer or will increase social stratification, whether the Internet will be a boon to rural areas, and how it can be made more appealing or acceptable to rural areas. Discusses the "missionary movement" model of economic change and rural issues related to access to infrastructure, censorship,…

Criteria were developed for evaluating rural Utah communities as potential sites for rural family practice residencies. Criteria were concerned with community facilities, physicians, numbers of patients, and physician and hospital commitment to teaching residents. Two of the 10 communities evaluated were found to be potentially capable of…

Six-year followup study of five rural Missouri communities found that community viability in terms of maintenance as trade and service center had become disconnected from demographic variables such as school enrollment. Unexpectedly, leaders of more viable places were not better educated or demographically different from other leaders, but had…

Changing economic, political, environmental, and social conditions continue to have a cumulative impact on Australian regional communities, and in many instances, rural communities are being forced to initiate their own strategies in order to remain economically and socially viable. However, while communities respond in differing ways to similar…