Agricultural education programs are experiencing pressure to change from a variety of educational and societal influences. This pressure is not new to agricultural education programs. The evolution of vocational agriculture from 1945 to 1963 provides a historical example of vocational education change as a result of social influences. Rural…

The social, cultural, and economic transitions in rural areas across the globe lead us to critique the traditional "top-down" or "bottom-up" distinction as being outdated for contemporary rural policy. In Europe and the United States in particular, high rates of counterurbanization heighten the need for new ways of thinking…

A vast and growing interdisciplinary research effort has focused on the rise of the so-called New West, purportedly the product of regional socioeconomic, political, and ecological upheavals in states like Montana and Colorado. Reviewing the growing research on this problem in sociology, economics, geography, and conservation science, this article…

Nowadays we are experiencing profound economic and social changes, which cause new and different migratory fluxes in the search for better living conditions. In this manner, the human tissue that composes societies is getting diverse. Therefore we can now find new minorities originating from immigration, whose members possess ethnic, religious,…

It is estimated that more than 10% of China's population has left their villages and hometowns as millions of farmers have descended upon cities and urban centers in response to a huge demand for labor since the economic reform launched in the late 1970s (Li, 2006). Approximately 19.8 million children are believed to have accompanied their parents…

A review of five recent books indicates that the migration of labor remains, on balance, a dynamic force for human betterment and economic prosperity. (Author)

The document focuses on various aspects of the social, economic, and policy implications of migration in Europe based on the actions undertaken by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A discussion of issues which may remedy the disequilibrium between the relative portions of the factors of production is presented: (1)…

The problems and advantages of locating industry in a rural setting were discussed in this conference report. The 10 individual speeches covered: changes in employment and the labor force; problems and advantages of rural locations, rural labor, and site selection; the importance of involving the Black community; the nature of the food processing…

Gallup Polls conducted between 1966 and 1972 indicated that the percentage of persons stating they would prefer living in a city has steadily declined, reaching the all-time low of 13 percent in 1972. Interviews conducted with a sample of 1,806 Americans showed that while one-third of the respondents currently live in towns, villages, or rural…

This book comprises papers delivered at a conference of National Experts on Migration. The principle objective of the conference was twofold: to examine significant trends that will affect the future of migration in countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED), and to identify the relevant issues that will have to…

A distortion has grown up between urban and rural economies creating a condition where neither is able to sustain itself, thus restricting individual opportunities. At one time, 98 percent of the U.S. depended on the rural economy. Interrelated developments such as the input of ideas, enterprise, mechanical innovations, the opening of new and…

Alaska's first long-range, system-wide enrollment projection study since the inception of the higher education system's restructuring plan is reported. The study was undertaken in response to statewide economic distress, a decline in state funding of higher education, and a pattern of out-migration by the college-age population, particularly in…

Economic and demographic changes in the central city have created two conflicting urban groups: (1) the poor, who seek inexpensive housing and greater welfare expenditures; and (2) the elite, who seek neighborhood improvement, fewer housing units, and more environment-enhancing investments. Reconstruction of urban America requires a reconciliation…

Largely from immigration, Appalachian population grew by over 2,000,000 from 1970 to 1980, a rate of 11.1 percent. Statistical tables give state, local development district, regional and county-group population figures for 13 Appalachian states. A map and bar graphs show rate of population change by county, region and state. (NEC)

Three major demographic trends (immigration patterns, dissolution of the traditional family structure, and the emerging age profile of the United States population) and three social trends (socioeconomic polarization, growing importance of the Pacific Rim countries to American trade, and new communications technology) are examined as they affect…