The revolution in telecommunications technology will be a driving force in the future economic growth of rural areas. Federal and state universal service policies requiring delivery of service to rural areas were major factors in how the telephone system evolved during the 20th century. In the 1990s, telephone penetration rates were similar for…

In an effort to clarify and synthesize recent explanations of underdevelopment and poverty in Central Appalachia, the following three models were explored: (1) the subculture of poverty model (identifies the internal deficiencies of the Southern Appalachian traditional subculture as the source of poverty problems); (2) the regional development…

Results are presented of a study on the economic development efforts of ten rural community action agencies (CAAs). This report describes the role played by the various CAAs in the economic development of their communities: the problems faced by the different agencies, the program approaches tried and how these approaches were developed, what the…

A combined report of the four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) and their partners focuses on selected outreach and research activities, projects, and accomplishments in fiscal year 1997. The report is organized around five topics identified as key issues for the mid 1990s: (1) improving economic competitiveness, diversity, and…

The rapid expansion of Appalachian Computer Services (ACS), a small Kentucky firm, was possible because of help from the state's Private Industry Councils (PICs). Federally funded, the PICs provided the necessary business-government-training partnership to recruit and train unemployed and economically disadvantaged workers for ACS' high-technology…

The Duke Endowment's Program for the Rural Carolinas is a 5-year effort to assist the revitalization of rural communities. Guiding principles of the program are that the rural Carolinas matter, this generation of workers matters, effective community development involves the entire community, solutions must be locally determined, healthy…

Each year commonwealth, state, and territory governments allocate millions of dollars to alleviate differing kinds of disadvantages among local communities in Australia. This paper is concerned with the allocation of resources to remote and rural areas by the Commonwealth Government on a national basis. Current formulas and resource allocation…

A meeting was held April 3, 1974, by the African-American Institute (AAI) to discuss the need for rural change and the strategies for achieving change in Africa. Participants in the meeting included two Africans who have leading roles in the economic development of their countries, representatives from 12 governmental and private agencies that are…

From a report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, presents the ingredients for a development program to help the world's poorest countries and people meet basic human needs. The program should include provisions for productivity and employment, food security, health services, lower rates of population growth, and…

In 2000, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), in cooperation with local development districts, nonprofit organizations, and many small municipalities, expanded programs to help Appalachia's distressed counties become economically competitive. The effort calls for increased funding for technical assistance and capacity building in distressed…

Stating that rural extension education in developing countries has neglected small, poor farmers, the author suggests a model changing extension services approach to concentrate on motivating poor farmers to increase production and raise their standard of living through localized personal contact, providing useful technology involving the whole…

Designed to be used as a classroom text, a book of readings, a reference, or a guide to rural development practitioners and decision makers, this book includes both general and sophisticated analyses relative to a comprehensive understanding of rural development fundamentals. Attempting to integrate the literature on micropolitan development into…

This issue of the Courier contains articles loosely connected to each other by the underlying theme of developing people's capacity to improve the quality of their lives. The following articles are included: "Development of Human Resources--A Basic Needs Approach," by Mohiuddin Ahmad; "Rural Poverty," by the United Nations Food…

Rural Africa includes some 80% of the African population; its people are poverty stricken, illiterate, ill-sheltered, and ill-nourished. These circumstances make rural development absolutely vital. However, past rural development policies have failed to take into consideration the structure and division of labor in the farm family, the traditional…

A distillation of hundreds of speeches, working papers, panel sessions, informal discussions, and formal resolutions, this report is derived from the First National Conference on Rural America (April 1975) and reflects emergence of a rural political platform. Attended by approximately 1,500 people from 49 States, Puerto Rico, and Canada, the…