Argues that state government must take a strong lead in promoting rural development. Justification for such a role includes improving the efficiency of the state's economy; making full use of fixed investments; improving rural-urban equity; preserving a rural lifestyle; and responding effectively to population density differences between rural and…

Examines changes over a 21-year period in 1 area of highland Bolivia to show how people and their activities and livelihoods have changed as a response to increasing commercial opportunities and new needs. Analyzes the extent to which these changes imply a restructuring similar to that which is taking place in the First World. (KS)

A survey of 109 households in 4 villages in Gower, South Wales, examined social-class changes associated with rural gentrification, the contention that gentrifiers are embodiments of capital, child-rearing concerns as a motive for gentrification, the influence of gender inequalities, and comparisons with urban examples of gentrification. Contains…

The theme for this conference was "Our Town and Country Society Looks at Itself." The following papers were presented at this conference: (1) "The Miracle of Production--Can We Keep It" (Aubrey D. Gates); (2) "Recent U.S. Population Trends and Their Causes" (Calvin L. Beale and Donald J. Bogue); (3) "Commercial…

Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, this research was conducted to investigate topics concerning the following four aspects of rural poverty: (1) documentation of the dimensions of rural poverty; (2) description of past public programs to raise incomes of the disadvantaged; (3) an outline of some of the strengths and…

This first article in a series on telecommunications in rural America provides an overview of several key telecommunication issues facing rural regions. High speed data services known as broadband have the potential to make rural areas less isolated and improve the rural quality of life, but physical barriers, sparse population density, and few…

Special Urban Issue. Former Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture defines rural development and urges leadership in the area to assure balanced growth in the nation. (DS)

Social protest from the farms, fields, and mills of rural Appalachia and the Ozarks leads to an indigenous music not found on commercial radio. Adult educators can gain from this music insight into the communities for which they are planninq educational services. (SK)

The Lower Mississippi Delta region, especially the rural Delta, faces many economic challenges. The rural Delta has received much federal aid in basic income support and funding for human resource development, but less for community resource programs, which are important for economic development. Federal aid to the Delta is analyzed in terms of…

Economies in rural areas during the 1980s were characterized by (1) fewer jobs in resource-based industries; (2) job shifts from manufacturing to services; (3) an increasing concentration of low-wage, low-skill jobs in rural areas; and (4) a growing earnings gap and outmigration of the best educated rural workers. (KS)

This paper analyzes economic trends to determine if education should be the focal point for rural economic development. According to the labor shortage/skills mismatch view, the movement toward a "service economy" will accelerate in the 1990s, increasing the number of skilled jobs and the demand for skilled workers. This…

The causes of rural/urban educational inequalities are multiple and diverse, and their analysis requires multi-disciplinary, longitudinal research. In this Polish study, preliminary examination of macrostatistical data on rural/urban disparities revealed the limitations of dichotomous analysis. In a broad, in-depth approach designed to develop a…

Some local governments in nonmetro areas--especially those in the rural West and in very rural areas--experienced high levels of fiscal stress in the mid-seventies that were associated with high and rising local taxes. These local governments may be forced to cut back their rural development activities in the eighties. Fiscal pressures on local…

Agglomeration--the clustering of people, businesses, or structures within an area--is investigated for two purposes: (1) defining the nature of agglomeration and erecting a suitable agglomeration theory, and (2) suggesting further research. These two objectives are seen as being vital to help improve the economic well-being of rural people by…

A survey of approximately 300 U.S. rural development officials indicates that rural-based officials often had a greater appreciation of rural environmental quality of life features than did their urban-based counterparts. Suggests decentralizing rural development policy formation to the communities affected. (SV)