Questions "supply-push" theory of rural development, which suggests that upgrading workers' skills will guarantee rural development. Data from past two decades show tendency of decreasing growth in job skills and in requirement for quantifiable job skills (e.g., level of education). Upgrading job skills by itself seems unlikely to pay…

This booklet profiles key economic and social features of rural Arkansas. Data are drawn from reports by the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Arkansas state agencies. About half of Arkansas' people live in rural areas, and most of these live in open country (not incorporated areas) and are completely dependent on county…

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…

The average weekly earnings of nonmetro wage and salary workers continued to rise through 2001, although the pace has ebbed slightly since 2000. Earnings have grown steadily among all major demographic groups, although less educated workers experienced smaller gains than college graduates. Gains for less-educated workers suggest that welfare…

The 1964 Report of the President's Appalachian Regional Commission reinforced the popular image of Appalachia--low income, high poverty, limited education, poor living standards, job deficits, high unemployment, outmigration, stagnation, and decline. Current data indicate that conditions in Appalachia have improved greatly: the percentage of…

The gap in household income between nonmetro households and those in other locations increased between 1979 and 1999, as did disparities by race and ethnicity across residence. Industrial restructuring, increased demand for more-educated workers, changing household structure, and women's labor force participation may influence income levels and…

Nonmetro educational attainment increased substantially between 1970 and 1990; however, nonmetro areas continued to lag metro in both high school and college completion rates. The metro-nonmetro gap in high school completion rates narrowed, whereas the gap in four-year college degree completion rates widened. Compares completion rates by region,…

Presents poverty statistics from the report of the Rural Sociological Society's Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty. Discusses who the rural poor are, recaps the history of government policies affecting rural poverty, and touches upon 10 theories that attempt social, economic, and educational explanations of why poverty is so persistent in…

Since 1917, Soviet policy has stressed self-determination of non-Russian populations and a commitment to their education. Using 1970 All-Union Census data and some later information, the author examines progress made toward this goal and the educational achievement of various groups. Success is noted and some problems outlined. (Author/SJL)

This article looks at Philippine data describing the upward course of educational attainment during a period of especially rapid economic change. It focuses on the distributional features of schooling as a status characteristic, relating the distribution of education to some important personal characteristics, including sex and aspects of social…

Formal and informal support systems are essential to empowering rural families to meet basic needs of health, education, and employment. Formal resources (institutions, agencies, professionals) are often lacking in rural areas and families rely on informal resources (extended family, church, social clubs). Characteristics of informal social…

This study tests the hypothesis that the local labor market structure, particularly the proportions of high- and low-paying occupations, affects human capital investment. Most studies have assumed that the direction of causation flows from the supply of human capital to employment growth. However, the creation of low-skilled jobs merely reshuffles…

This research review suggests that welfare reform policy should recognize the differences between rural and urban poor families. The rural poor are more likely to be employed, married, and non-Hispanic white. Rural-urban labor market differences are also likely to influence the effects of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity…

Rural families in the 1990s have less to support their children and schools than a decade earlier: rural poverty (particularly among children), single-parent families, and maternal employment have increased whereas education and incomes of young adults have decreased. Although education has increased in importance for jobs, rural schools systems…