Over 250 rural leaders attended the conference "Beyond Agriculture: New Policies for Rural America," held in Kansas City (Missouri) in April 2000. The conference began with an assessment of where the rural economy and rural policy are headed in the new century. Speakers suggested that the rural economy is likely to remain a mix of…

The United States does not have a coherent national rural policy. The federal government has focused on a sector-based policy that has only indirect impact on rural America. State governments have failed to move beyond their traditional focus areas of education, corrections, Medicaid, and other state services. The diversity of rural America makes…

Assessing the potential impact of telecommunications technology upon rural economic development, this study for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) employs data assembled and analyzed from the following: "informed experts;" research information and demonstration projects; and federal legislation, research, and agency interests.…