Discusses service industries' role in developing economies of rural areas. Describes ways service industries generate employment and local income and blend with a local economy. Summarizes survey of contributions to local economies and what attracted them to their communities for 385 service firms in nonmetropolitan Wisconsin. Tables provide…

This directory is a compendium of over 600 scholars and educators in a range of disciplines throughout the United States who are actively involved in research or teaching of rural issues. It is intended as a resource for those individuals and for other professionals, providing access to one another and aiding a multi-disciplinary approach to rural…

A study of effects of differentiated farm structures and industry structures on socioeconomic conditions in 3,037 counties for 1970 and 1980 indicated that employment in core industry and a pattern of family farming contribute to more favorable socioeconomic conditions. Both peripheral and state employment lowered socioeconomic conditions relative…

Texts of 12 research papers are presented in this proceedings of a 1985 conference specifically focusing on the interdependence of agriculture and rural communities. Titles of Session I papers providing information on the current situation and trends in agriculture and rural communities are "An Overview of the Nonmetro Economy and the Role of…

Survey information from 1,616 farm families in Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Tennessee was used to construct a viability ratio measuring a family's ability to meet its obligations from total income. Coupled with other farm characteristics, the ratio allows policymakers to see why some farms are viable and others are not. (JHZ)

Using measures sensitive to rural labor market conditions, determined that nearly a third of the rural labor force is underemployed--by being out of a job, working for low pay, or working too few hours. The current system of calculating unemployment rate seriously underestimates the extent of economic hardship in rural areas. (JHZ)

The four conceptual/academic themes for the Second Annual University of Kentucky Conference on Appalachia were: School-Community Relationships; Economic Development through Education; Politics of Democratic Empowerment; and Politics of Literacy. Other session topics included: Successful Dropout Programs in Appalachia; Innovative Programs and…

This paper identifies and describes development of rural sociological research in the southern United States. It traces the emergence of rural sociology as a discipline from recognition of problems of rural life in the early 1900's, points out that the northern United States predominated in early research, and discusses why early rural…

Rural economic development presents a paradox of growth in population and jobs without corresponding improvement in local economic well-being. Four forces may impede nonmetropolitan development efforts. Growth of multiestablishment corporations makes traditional regional economic development models unrealistic. Rural industrialization is socially,…

An estimated 44,340 longer term resident households in rural Kentucky were studied to identify the variables that explained changes in household income status between 1974-79. In a nine-county area of south-central Kentucky, rapid employment growth between 1974 and 1979 created new job opportunities, but employment growth did not benefit all…

Effective rural development planning depends on facts and analysis based, not on rural averages, but on the diverse social and economic structure of rural America. Programs tailored to particular types of rural economies may be more effective than generalized programs. Because of their unique characteristics, government policies and economic…

The directory of rural development researchers in the South first lists researchers by state for the 13 southern states and Puerto Rico, then by subject area. Research projects (25) of the Southern Rural Development Center since 1975 are also listed. The listing by state covers Alabama (31 researchers), Arkansas (12), Florida (10), Georgia (15),…

The diminishing role of the federal government in rural development has created an opportunity for new initiatives in this area. One potentially useful response is the creation of a state-rural policy center. Such centers can combine the efforts of land grant institutions, extension services, and state universities in the development and…

A study of 149 nonmetropolitan Southern counties used data for 1973 and 1983 to examine the effects of rural industrialization in the region. Variables studied were population size, number of manufacturers, rate of family poverty, and percent of high school graduates. A comparison of white (75% or more whites in the population) and nonwhite (more…

Due largely to outmigration of young people, the nonmetropolitan United States has a lower proportion of people in the prime working ages of 20-44 than do metropolitan areas. Discouraged workers and high levels of work-preventing disabilities have contributed to lower rates of nonmetropolitan labor force participation for each age group between 20…