While other studies of local efforts to promote small town growth have generally shown negative results, this study of 88 small northwestern Michigan towns during the 1970s focused on external ties and contacts of local influentials and tended to support the growth machine hypothesis. Extensive metropolitan contacts increased population/program…

Manufacturing employs a declining share of the U.S. labor force but is still the most important sector of Southern rural economies. Manufacturing has played a major role in reducing poverty in the rural South and is particularly important to economies where tourism, recreation, or commuting is not strong. Historically, manufacturers moved to the…

Predominantly black rural counties, located in the South, are among the poorest in the nation. Manufacturing has long been an important source of job growth in these counties, but the skill demands of new technology put these populations at a disadvantage. The poor quality of local schools and high dropout rates are major problems in predominantly…

Despite growth in the service sector, manufacturing remains a vital part of the rural South's economic base and is related to lower poverty rates. However, manufacturing is changing, adopting new technologies and management practices, and seeking more highly skilled labor. Poor rural schools, an unskilled workforce, and absence of community…

Population distribution and community size make rural areas better suited to production than managerial jobs. Production jobs, however, are threatened by business cycles, foreign competition and technological displacement, more so than by education levels of rural workers. Links outmigration in rural areas to low wages. (Author/TES)