Rural Development Perspectives is published three times per year. To order Rural Development Perspectives or other ERS publlications, please visit the ERS-NASS Sales Desk.

Feature articles in this issue:

• State Rural Development Councils Are Creating Public-Private Partnerships. by Beryl A. Radin. In 1990, the Federal Government embarked on an experiment to conduct business differently in the rural development field. At the center of that effort, known as the National Rural Development Partnership, was the creation of State Rural Development Councils. The Councils include members from Federal, State, local, and tribal governments and from for-profit and nonprofit organizations. While Councils differ widely, a study of 16 of them found that they had modest early successes in improving communication and cooperation among members, expanding rural issues beyond traditional agricultural concerns to human resource and environmental quality concerns, and addressing local problems in a more coordinated manner.
• Rural America's Transportation Network: Issues for the 1990's. by Dennis Brown. By moving commercial products to markets and providing many rural residents with access to jobs and services, transportation serves as a vital link to opportunities outside rural areas. However, parts of the rural transportation network have fallen into disrepair. Balancing the need to upgrade transportation infrastructure with decreasing availability of Federal funding and changing regulations will likely continue to be one of the major challenges facing rural America.
• Deadwood, South Dakota Gambling, Historic Preservation, and Economic Revitalization. by William V. Ackerman. Gambling in Deadwood is responsible for increasing recreational visits and spending, generating nearly 1,800 new jobs in the town and surrounding communities, and boosting tax revenues. Increased tax and business revenues paid for infrastructure improvements and historic preservation that has brought back much of the 1890's Victorian look of the town. Gaming caused the loss of some retail activity and generated parking shortages and traffic congestion, but, overall, it has helped to preserve an important historical landmark and to revitalize the local economy.
• Rural Prisons: An Update. by Calvin L. Beale. During 1992-94, nonmetro counties continued to acquire prisons at a rate dramatically out of proportion to the percentage of the Nation's population that lives in such areas. Whether through unsought placement of facilities or aggressive local bidding for them, prison construction and employment have become economically important for many rural areas.
• Retired Farm Operators: Who Are They? by Robert A. Hoppe. Approximately 17 percent of all farm operators considered themselves retired in 1993. Although the farms of retired operators generate little cash income, they are a major asset for the operators and their households. Renting out acreage and enrolling acreage in the Conservation Reserve Program are widely used by retired farmers to receive income without working their land.

Indicators

• Who's Vulnerable to Federal Budget Cuts? Richard Reeder, Faqir Bagi, and Samuel Calhoun.

Book Reviews

Book Announcements

Contents, 9 kb

State Rural Development Councils Are Creating Public-Private Partnerships, 40 kb

Rural America's Transportation Network: Issues for the 1990's, 2,364 kb

Deadwood, South Dakota Gambling, Historic Preservation, and Economic Revitalization, 89 kb

Rural Prisons: An Update, 496 kb

Retired Farm Operators: Who Are They?, 40 kb

Who's Vulnerable to Federal Budget Cuts?, 491 kb

Book Reviews, 32 kb

Book Announcements, 17 kb

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Updated: February 3, 1997