Briefing Rooms

Rural Development Strategies: Recommended Readings

This represents an extensive listing, but not a complete listing, of ERS research covering a wide range of rural development issues:

Designing an Effective Rural Development Policy

"Designing an Effective Rural Development Strategy," Amber Waves, November 2006. A short article describing the fundamental elements of an effective rural development strategy.

Rural Development, USDA 2007 Farm Bill Theme Paper, July 2006. Summarizes trends and conditions in rural areas, provides an overview of USDA's rural development programs, and concludes with a discussion of several alternative approaches to rural development.

Policy Options for A Changing Rural America, Amber Waves, May 2007. Discusses various policy options related to changing rural economic and demographic conditions.

Rural Economic Development: What Makes Rural Communities Grow?, AIB-737, September 1997. Reports the findings of an econometric study identifying significant factors affecting rural economic growth.

Regional Development Programs

"Transition Year Brings Changes for Rural Development," Rural America, Summer 2002. Covers recent changes in Federal legislation, taxes, and regulations affecting rural development, including a brief discussion of the 2002 farm bill provisions.

"Rural Development Policy: New Assistance for Low-Income Areas and Infrastructure," Rural America, Sep. 2001. Covers recent changes in Federal programs, taxes, and regulations, including the recently enacted New Markets and Delta Regional Authority provisions.

Resource Conservation and Development Program Reaches a Milestone, Rural America, Winter 2002. Describes the evolution of a USDA program which supports hundreds of volunteer councils that plan and implement local projects fostering community development and natural resource conservation.

Infrastructure

"Internet on the Range," Amber Waves, February 2006. Uses data from the October 2003 Current Population Survey to measure the extent of rural and urban usage of the Internet.

Rural Transportation At A Glance, AIB-795, January 2005. Provides the latest information on transportation in rural America.

Infrastructure and the Food and Agricultural Economy, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, United States Economy profile for the Pacific Food System Outlook 2005. Examines the current state of rural infrastructure and its importance of the U.S. food and agriculture industries.

Rural Governments Face Public Transportation Challenges and Opportunities, Amber Waves, Feb. 2004. Summarizes the findings of a study of the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program.

"Transportation in Rural America: Issues for the 21st Century," Rural America, Winter 2002. Provides a summary of various modes of transportation important for rural America, including related Federal programs and regulatory changes.

"The Nation's Inland Waterway System and Rural America," Rural America, Winter 2002. Discusses the inland waterway system and its importance as a means of transport for agriculture and the rural economy, as well as its contribution to recreation and wildlife conservation.

Economic Impact of Water/Sewer Facilities on Rural and Urban Communities, Rural America, Winter 2002. Uses data from the Economic Development Administration to examine the impacts of 54 rural and 33 urban water/sewer projects.

"Small Communities' Quest for Safe Drinking Water," Rural America, Fall 2002. Describes the challenges faced by small community drinking water systems that characterize much of rural America.

Communications & the Internet in Rural America, Agricultural Outlook, June/July 2002. Analyzes recent data on the diffusion of advanced telecommunications in rural areas and the role of Federal policy in meeting the special diffusion challenges rural areas face.

"Electric Utility Industry Restructuring: Issues for Rural America," Rural America, Spring 2002. Discusses proposals to further deregulate the electric utility industry and their potential impact on rural communities.

Highway Investment and Rural Economic Development: An Annotated Bibliography, BLA-133, Apr. 1999. Summarizes studies of the rural economic development implications of highway investment.

Rail Freight Consolidation and Rural America, RDP, June 1998. Explores the effects of consolidation in the rail freight industry on rural America.

When Rural Communities Lose Passenger Rail Service, RDP, Feb. 1997. Explores options available to communities that have lost rail service.

Business Assistance

Farm Programs, Natural Amenities, and Rural Development, Amber Waves, Feb. 2005. Separates the importance of farm programs from that of natural amenities and other local characteristics in explaining population growth over the last 25 years.

New Economy Manufacturing Meets Old Economy Education Policies in the Rural South, Rural America, March 2001. Discusses how manufacturing continues to play an important role in development of the South, and relates recent manufacturing trends with education, arguing that poor education limits participation in the New Economy.

"Nontraditional Sources of Venture Capital for Rural America," Rural America, May 2001. Uses survey data to examines different types of institutions and identify success factors.

"Value-Added Agriculture Policies Across the States," Rural America, May 2001. Asks why there aren't more value-added plants closer to farmers, and discusses State programs and policies benefiting value-added activity.

"Socioeconomic Impacts of Agricultural Processing Plants," Rural America, May 2001. Interviews in 4 North Dakota communities provide insights on impacts.

How Important is Airport Access for Rural Businesses?, Rural America, Sep. 2000. Uses information from a nationwide manufacturing survey to show how airports are more important to rural businesses than to urban businesses.

Technical Assistance Assuming Greater Role in Business Assistance Programs, RCaT, June 2000. Discusses recent changes for business assistance programs, including funding changes from 1999-2000.

Using Microenterprise Programs in the Rural United States, Rural America, Jan. 2000. Examines characteristics of 266 microenterprise programs in 1996, describes major Federal programs involved, and suggests ways to improve microenterprise program effectiveness.

Financial Markets Serve Rural Areas Reasonably Well, RDP, May 1999. Examines the role of financial markets in rural economies and how government programs influence credit allocations.

Microlending is Latest Trend in Business Assistance, RCaT, July 1999. Examines the effects of microlending programs (loans and loan guarantees for very small startup businesses), which have been among the fastest growing business assistance programs.

Rural Communities and Military Base Closures, RDP, Aug. 1998. Discusses how rural military base closures affect employment, housing, education, and the environment—three case studies show that recovery from closures have been uneven, though Federal aid has helped.

Who Benefits from Business Assistance Programs?, Sep. 1998. Examines the use of business assistance programs by respondents to the 1996 Rural Manufacturing Study.

Direct Farm Marketing as a Rural Development Tool, RDP, Feb. 1997. Presents analysis indicating that income from direct selling is relatively small and limited to communities near urban areas.

Multi-Agency Service Teams: A New Approach in Maine To Deliver Technical Assistance to Rural Manufacturers, RDP, Apr. 1999. Examines an experiment by the State of Maine to improve the coordination of technical assistance to assist wood products manufacturers.

Rural Prisons: An Update, RDP, 1996. Examines the economic effects of new prison facilities on the communities involved.

Education and Training

"Education as a Rural Development Strategy," Amber Waves, Nov. 2005. Examines the relationship between workforce education and rural economic growth, and the questions faced by policymakers.

The Role of Education: Promoting the Economic & Social Vitality of Rural America, Jan. 2005. Examines how rural schools can be improved and how education affects the rural local economy and community.

"Low-Skills Jobs: A shrinking Share of the Rural Economy," Amber Waves, Nov. 2004. Describes recent changes in rural economy and the importance of education and training.

Rural Education At A Glance, RDRR-98, November 2003. Describes conditions and trends in educational achievement levels in the rural U.S.

"Low Skill Workers Are a Declining Share of All Rural Workers," Amber Waves, June 2003. Describes recent changes in the rural economy and the importance of education and training.

Rural Colleges as Catalysts for Community Change: The RCCI Experience, Rural America, Sep. 2001. Discusses how 24 sites taking part in the Rural Community College Initiative have experimented with strategic approaches to enhance development in distressed areas.

"Innovation and Replication: Can Community College Successes Be Repeated?" Rural America, Sep. 2001. Examines educational and earning status of metro/nonmetro residents in South, and argues that for earnings to improve in the region, investment in human capital must be increased.

Rural Community Colleges: Creating Educational Hybrids for the New Economy, Rural America, Sep. 2001. Discusses recent trends, achievements, characteristics, and challenges of rural community colleges.

"Educated Workforce, Quality Jobs Still Elusive Goals in the Rural South," Rural America, March 2001. Examines educational and earning status of metro/nonmetro residents in South, and argues that for earnings to improve in the region, investment in human capital must be increased.

Are Workers in the Rural South Ready for the Future, RDP, Oct. 1999. Shows how there are two Souths—one prospering and the other lagging and vulnerable—and discusses some policies to address this situation.

Welfare Reform Followup: New Welfare-to-Work Program Helps Adjustment to Welfare Reform, RCaT, July 1998. Discusses aftermath of welfare reform legislation of 1996 and the newly created Welfare-to-Work Program.

Welfare Reform Legislation Poses Opportunities and Challenges for Rural America, RCaT, June 1997. Explains welfare reform and potential implications for rural areas.

Amenity-Based Development

Arts Employment Is Burgeoning in Some Rural Areas. Examines rural places with growing arts communities and the factors associated with such growth.

The Creative Class: A Key to Rural Growth. Amber Waves, April 2007. Identifies rural and urban counties that rank high in the presence of creative class workers and finds that this creative class appears to add to rural employment and population growth.

Rural Areas Benefit from Recreation and Tourism Development, Amber Waves, Sep. 2005. Summarizes findings of ERS study examining socioeconomic impacts of rural recreation and tourism development.

Recreation, Tourism, and Rural Well-Being, Aug. 2005, err-7. Analyzes the socioeconomic effects of recreation and tourism development in 311 rural counties that specialize in such development.

"Population Loss Counties Lack Natural Amenities," Amber Waves, April 2005. Describes conditions in population loss counties.

Stories Across America: Opportunities For Rural Tourism, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2001. Describes approaches used in selected rural areas—most examples involve heritage- and amenity-based tourism, agritourism, and the use of scenic highways or seaways.

Wildlife Conservation and Economic Development in the West, RDP, Aug. 1999. Examines effect of development on wildlife in the West and Federal programs that help conserve this resource that is one of the factors attracting people and development to the region.

Quality of Life, Nontraditional Income, and Economic Growth: New Development Opportunities for the Rural West, RDP, Aug. 1999. Finds that many new migrants to the West are attracted by amenities, so policies that enhance the quality of life are most likely to attract people in a financial position to act on their preferences.

Retiree-Attraction Policies for Rural Development, AIB-741, June 1998.
Summarizes the socioeconomic and fiscal impacts of retiree attraction in rural areas, identifies the types of places that might most benefit from retiree attraction, and discusses several State policies aimed at attracting retirees to rural areas.

Community Development

Farmland Preservation Programs: Another Tool for Managing Urban Growth? Discusses various approaches used, the extent of farmland preserved, and research on the impacts of such programs.

One in Four Nonmetro Households are Housing Stressed, Amber Waves, November 2004. Uses the new ERS housing stress county typology code to examine where nonmetro housing stress is greatest.

Rural Homeownership Rising, Amber Waves, April 2004. Examines trends in U.S. homeownership rates, which continue to break records, particularly in rural or nonmetro areas.

Resource Conservation and Development Program Reaches a Milestone, Rural America, Winter 2002. Describes the evolution of a USDA program which supports hundreds of volunteer councils that plan and implement local projects fostering community development and natural resource conservation.

Development at the Urban Fringe and Beyond: Impacts on Agriculture and Rural Land, AER-803, June 2001. Describes the forces driving development, its character and impacts on agriculture and rural communities, the means available to channel and control growth, and the pros and cons of potential Federal roles.

Several New Initiatives Provide General Assistance, RCaT, June 2000. Discusses recent funding changes (1999-2000) for a wide range of general development programs important to rural areas, including Community Development Block Grants, Economic Development Assistance, Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, USDA's Extension activities and its Rural Development Mission programs (including its new RCDI program and several of its new initiatives), and others.

Housing Poverty in Rural Areas Greater for Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Rural America, No. 2, May 2000. Defines a new housing poverty measure and looks at how it differs between nonmetro and metro areas, and by residents' race, ethnicity, and income.

Direct Loans Open Doors to Rural Homeownership, Rural America, May 2000. Presents findings from a recent ERS survey of USDA's Section 502 Single Family Direct Loan Program.

Local Housing Policy: The Small-Town Myth and Economic Development, Rural America, May 2000. Discusses how housing conditions are affected by policies aimed at the sometimes conflicting goals of affordable housing, economic development, and maintaining rural character in a small Minnesota community.

Community Empowerment: A New Approach for Rural Development, RDP, May 1999. Explains how the Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community program operates and benefits rural areas.

Sustaining Rural Black Farming Community in the South: A Portrait of Brooks Farm, Mississippi, RDP, Apr. 1998. Discusses how members of a small community draw on the strength of their own institutions to continue to provide public services and help those who cannot help themselves.

Deadwood, South Dakota Gambling, Historic Preservation, and Economic Revitalization, RDP, Feb. 1996. Discusses local economic effects of gambling and historic preservation on Deadwood, South Dakota.

Federal Funds

"Federal Funding in Rural America: Who Gets What?," Amber Waves, September 2004. Summarizes important rural-urban differences in the receipt of Federal funding, by program function and region.

"The Rural Dimension of Social Security," Amber Waves, June 2004. Provides a map showing the rural geographic distribution of Social Security retirement payments.

"Federal Funding in Nonmetro Elderly Counties," Rural America, Fall 2002. Using fiscal year 2000 data, this article examines the distribution of Federal funding in counties with a high percentage of their population over 65 years old.

"Federal Funds in Rural America: Payments Vary by Region and Type of County," Rural America, Fall 2002. Presents findings from analysis of 2000 data.

Federal Funding in Appalachia and Its Three Subregions," Rural America, Winter 2002. Examines the geographic distribution of Federal funds in Appalachia, varying by subregion.

Federal Funds in Rural America: Funding Is Less in Rural Than Urban Areas, but Varies by Region and Type of County, Rural America, Fall 2001. Examines Federal funding, per capita, including national totals by metro and nonmetro counties, plus breakouts by region and major program function.

Federal Funding in the Black Belt, Rural America, Jan. 2000. Examines the geographic distribution of Federal funds in the Black Belt of the South.

Federal Funding's Unique Role in Appalachia, RDP, May 1999. Examines the geographic distribution of Federal funds in Appalachia.

Which Federal Programs Are Most Important for the Great Plains? RDP, June 1998. Examines the geographic distribution of Federal funds in the Great Plains.

Who's Vulnerable to Federal Budget Cuts, RDP, Feb. 1996. Shows how different regions and types of rural counties are more or less reliant on different kinds of Federal programs.