This report identifies local factors that foster rural economic growth. A review of the literature revealed potential indicators of county economic growth, and those indicators were then tested against data for nonmetro counties during the 1980s using multiple regression analysis. The principal variables examined included demographic and labor…

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…

Data on rural-urban differences in access to telecommunications technology suggest that the U.S. "digital divide" is diminishing. However, major shortcomings in telecommunications infrastructure persist in rural America, and more serious barriers to rural development are related to human capital shortages. These may be resolved in some…

Community leaders and rural development specialists must decide which economic development strategies will provide the greatest benefit to the local labor force and the community. To aid in the evaluation of the small business approach to rural development, this report analyzes the effects of employer size on wages and employee benefits. A survey…

Investigations of the linkages between improved schools and local economic development are rare. This paper considers several models that introduce human capital as a potential source of economic growth in the rural South. Results from various econometric models indicate that across the South, county per capita income growth rates from 1970 to…

Analysis of effects of local educational levels on employment growth found that growth benefits of higher schooling levels during the 1970s were 14 times greater for metro than nonmetro commuting zones. During the 1980s, higher education levels did not significantly affect employment growth in metro or nonmetro zones; higher dropout rates were…

The South's recent rapid growth has not erased its widespread poverty and low levels of human capital. The rural South remains the nation's low-income and high-poverty region, and low education levels may limit the rural South's prospects for development. Underlying social and economic conditions that depend on and reinforce a low-skill population…

Despite increased government investments in education, West Virginia continues to have one of the nation's highest high school dropout rates and is among the states with the highest unemployment rates. Human capital theory provides the conceptual basis for evaluating the relationship between investment in education and economic development. An…

Lying within the Cumberland Plateau of Appalachia, the Kentucky River Area Development District (KRADD) comprises eight rural Kentucky counties: Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe. This report reviews regional history of economic development and examines socioeconomic indicators, including education, poverty, and the…

This publication presents a series of five papers based on presentations given at a rural development symposium dealing with the role of education in off-farm employment and rural economic development. The first paper, "Education and Rural Economic Development" (Thomas G. Johnson), discusses linkages between the regional educational…

Areas of the West with natural amenities enjoyed growing populations and income levels in the 1990s, mostly from inmigration of people with self-employment or investment income. These were usually young, well-educated professionals in service industries. Rural communities with policies that enhance quality of life (better schools, environmental…

The 1980s found the U.S. economy vulnerable in the global marketplace. Many observers have argued that workforce education and skill levels are too low, particularly in rural areas. In this book, four studies examine the education crisis, the relationship between the education shortfall and rural economic stagnation, the importance of local…

This bibliography lists materials available from the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) AGRICOLA database that relate to rural poverty in the United States. The bibliography was derived from a search of books, journal articles, research reports, government documents, conference papers, and audiovisual aids that have been entered into the…

The Community Choices program is designed to engage communities in a systematic assessment of the linkages between their human resource attributes and their economic development opportunities. This document contains seven modules. Modules 1-3 lay the foundation for doing public policy education work by (1) defining public policy education and…

This overview of 34 mostly rural counties in southern Illinois is intended to: (1) provide a mid-1980s look at Southern Illinois and its potentials for those who want to learn about the region; (2) provide the basis for further study of the region's many aspects and potentials; and (3) provide basic overview material for those studying particular…