Networking communities and school districts is crucial for effectively sharing resources and delivering services in rural areas. The study of the organization of southern non-metropolitan counties for the delivery of services is part of a regional project called "Analysis of Structural and Organizational Change in Rural Counties of the…

In-depth, unstructured, interviews with 20 non-Amish public officials, farmers, and business people in Fillmore County, Minnesota, examined attitudes toward the local Amish population, including Amish religious beliefs and practices, taxation and school issues, Amish impact on the area economy, and prejudice toward the Amish as a group. Data were…

Discusses academic discourses of "rural,""sustainability," and "community" and approaches to these concepts in New Zealand government policy. Examines social sustainability issues in the Mangakahia Valley, New Zealand: urban-rural migration of "lifestyle" newcomers and Maori returning to ancestral lands,…

EFFECTIVE REHABILITATION AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR DELINQUENTS REQUIRE CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG LOCAL, COUNTY, AND STATE AGENCIES. THE JUVENILE COURT IS THE KEY AGENCY BUT HAS BEEN INEFFECTIVE BECAUSE OF LACK OF SUFFICIENT AND SKILLED SOCIAL WORKERS. THE SERVICES OF PROFESSIONALLY STAFFED SOCIAL AGENCIES ARE PARTICULARLY LACKING IN RURAL…

The study evaluated two early intervention programs for rural preschool handicapped and developmentally delayed children to determine the degree of integration into the community and program-community interaction. Analysis of 6 months of observation in the two programs resulted in the following conclusions: (1) administration of early intervention…

In three rural Nebraska communities experiencing rising inmigration of Hispanic families, newcomers and long-term residents were interviewed concerning personal financial strain; concerns with community issues such as language barriers and interethnic conflict; nutritional habits; and access to health care, education and training, and social…

Seven focus groups were held in an Appalachian county in western North Carolina to examine residents' socially constructed identity as "mountain people." The groups were asked seven general discussion questions about social change, quality of life, and the terms "mountain people" and "Southerners." In striking…

This report is a first effort of the Missouri Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to determine the current dimensions of race relations in rural areas of Missouri. Callaway County and its county seat, Fulton, are described, and poblems faced by blacks in the schools and in obtaining housing and employment are explored, the…

Examines the functions, roles, and responsibilities of the public library trustee in a rural setting. Topics include serving the information needs of the community, determining policy, encouraging partnerships with other libraries and community organizations, ensuring sufficient funding, public and community relations, and evaluation of the board…

A case study in a rural Australian township attempted to determine indicators verifying the existence of social capital. Social capital is provisionally defined as the networks, norms, and trust that constitute the capacity of individuals, workplaces, groups, organizations, and communities to strive for sustainable futures in a changing…

A community survey examined socioeconomic characteristics and community participation patterns in a rural Canadian area in which recreational cottages were being converted to full-time homes by urban retirees. Compared to long-time residents, "converters" were more likely to be older and more educated, to have no children at home, and to…

Census data were used to test various hypotheses about growing Latino concentration and economic deterioration in rural California communities and found factors related to both Latino inmigration and White outmigration. Public policy implications are discussed relative to improving ethnic relations and building human capital to support economic…

Develops a framework for examining how social capital contributes to the well-being of rural communities. Reviews the educational and social science literature on social capital, contrasting rational choice and embeddedness perspectives. Introduces the concept of entrepreneurial social infrastructure, which adds equality, inclusion, and agency to…

This book examines the nature of persistent poverty in two impoverished towns in the coalfields of Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta and a contrasting social milieu in a prosperous but remote rural mill town in northern New England. Drawing on 350 in-depth interviews and census data, the book analyzes the dynamics of poverty, politics, and…

In two rural isolated communities in Appalachia and northern New England, differences in local economic opportunities and social capital have produced different social contexts, which vary in extent of social stratification and stigmatization and isolation of the poor. Interviews with low-income women reveal community differences in opportunities…