Rural development is a multidimensional phenomenon. The political dimension, relating as it does to power, resources, accountability, priorities and choice, is a pivotal aspect of rural development. Local government is often the centrepiece of rural political systems. Interventions to reconfigure local government are therefore quintessentially…

This paper presents the activities of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) for 2009. The past year was one of accomplishment for USAC. USAC implemented a host of advances in operations, infrastructure, and outreach in an effort to continue to improve collection and disbursement of the Universal Service Fund (USF) support and to…

This report is a summary of discussions that took place at the Young Leaders' Forum held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI), on March 9-10, 2007. The event was part of the Rural Dialogue, an on-going, two-way discussion between the Government of Canada and Canadians from rural, remote and northern regions. Launched in 1998, the Rural…

This paper explores how rural communities with limited financial resources and technical expertise can have a useful Web page along with the ability for community and business leaders to maintain this presence. The tools to be employed are not new to the Web, but they may be considered "cutting edge" when it comes to a rural community's…

This paper is an interpretation by researchers of oral and written accounts of ten development agents who have participated in various seminars and discussions since 2001, organized by researchers of INRA and of the University of Toulouse. According to the transcripts of lectures, discussions and articles written by development agents, it seems…

In 1994 the Ford Foundation launched the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) as a "national demonstration project to help community colleges in distressed regions move their people and communities toward prosperity. It challenged community colleges to become catalysts for economic development and supported aggressive efforts to increase…

This article presents the findings of a study that explored the role and impact of continuing education on rural revitalization. A community development approach, academic expertise, and a university's resources were used to assist the citizens of Montmartre, Saskatchewan, to establish Centre 48, an arts and continuing education centre. Courses…

Catastrophe theory may provide a possible model for describing and explaining the boom town phenomena at a generalized level; catastrophe models deal with phenomena in which changes in continuous independent variables lead to sudden, or abrupt, discontinuous changes in a dependent variable. Rural energy boom towns are the result of sudden, abrupt…

One conference address and two reports on adult education in Zambia are presented. The address is entitled "Adult Education and Industrialization" and the reports are "Adult Education and Industrialisation" and "Adult Education and Rural Development," respectively. (CK)

The clientele served by the Technology Use Studies Center (TUSC) at Southeastern State College is updated. Manufacturing leads the list of client firms, which include a broad range of industries and a substantial number of colleges and universities. A review of field operations inherent in the functions of dissemination and assistance notes an…

Describes computer Industrial Impact Model used by Texas Agricultural Extension Service rural planners to assess potential benefits and costs of new firms on community private and public sectors. Presents selected data/results for two communities assessing impact of the same plant. (NEC)

A look at a study funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development which is attempting to demonstrate that imaginative applications of telecommunications will enable business units'' to operate effectively over wide distances and thus prevent migrations from rural areas. (Author/AK)

A short review of the development of adult education in Ceylon, from the introduction of Buddhism in the third century B. C. to the present time, with emphasis on twentieth century programs and achievements. (JB)

Some comments on the applicability of television to aiding the rural development of underdeveloped countries. (LS)