This paper examines rural population ageing in the United States with a particular focus on the contrasting contexts in which older rural residents live. We compare the characteristics of the older population by rural versus urban residence, and explore challenges and opportunities associated with the ageing of rural baby boomers. The United…

This article is essentially written as two linked parts. The first part considers how space, spatiality and history can contribute to understanding and "doing something about" the sustainability of rural communities. This is done by extensive reference to Soja's (1989 & 1996) space and spatial theorising and selective perspectives of…

High speed data services known as broadband have the potential to make rural areas less isolated and improve the rural quality of life, but physical barriers, sparse population density, and few markets present significant obstacles to their deployment in rural areas. Broadband applications such as e-commerce, distance education, and telemedicine…

The revolution in telecommunications technology will be a driving force in the future economic growth of rural areas. Federal and state universal service policies requiring delivery of service to rural areas were major factors in how the telephone system evolved during the 20th century. In the 1990s, telephone penetration rates were similar for…

A survey of approximately 300 U.S. rural development officials indicates that rural-based officials often had a greater appreciation of rural environmental quality of life features than did their urban-based counterparts. Suggests decentralizing rural development policy formation to the communities affected. (SV)

Describes rise of rural industries in People's Republic of China following 1978 reforms. Discusses government's emphasis on urban industrialization, role of rural agricultural production, rural incomes, and policy changes. Describes new industrialization, combining peasant and modern economies, and resulting increases in rural employment and…

Data from a 1986 modified Delphi survey of adult education professionals in a 13-state region is used to determine what public policies were regarded as important and feasible for providing adequate opportunities for rural adults. The document focuses on 89 proposed policies to determine differences in perceptions among three subregions (Mountain,…

Much of today's rural America will be the fastest growing part of the nation in the next half century. The spread of large cities and the creation of new ones, the addition of almost 30 million senior citizens, and immigration into rural areas are powerful forces contributing to the development of rural America. Rural areas are competitive in a…

Farm policy alone is no longer a sufficient development policy for today's rural America. Rural economies have changed over the last 30-40 years from reliance on farming to greater reliance on manufacturing and service industries. Rural economic development policies need to reflect today's changed rural economy. (Author)

The major features previously used to define rural life now fail to describe much of rural America, as changes that place rural areas in the vanguard of American society are manifest in rural landscape, institutions, economic activity, and life. The principal policy thrusts of modernization and urbanization and the related theories of product…

Discusses using social-work educational methods to organize the New York Rural Human Services Coalition, when public policy is increasingly urban oriented. Describes historical framework and state institutional structure of services. Describes organization to secure rural perspectives in human-services delivery. Describes community organization…

If a new and effective rural policy is to be crafted, policymakers must realize that rural America has changed a great deal in recent years. To be sustainable, rural policy must be flexible enough to accommodate continuing changes in global structure; be sufficiently targeted to address the unique concerns found in diverse rural situations;…

This paper theorizes on the pattern in which investment in human capital affects the well-being of the rural community and is affected by public policy on education finding. Outmigration from rural regions is more likely for individuals with the highest educational achievement. Therefore, remote school districts tend to underinvest in education.…

In the six-state region of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, 182 counties have been identified as having an agriculturally based economy. Characteristics of these counties have been identified using data from the U.S. Census and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Agriculturally based counties have lost…

Canadians identify education as key to economic opportunity and advancement, yet rural areas experience teacher shortages, school closings, and extended transportation times. A growing native population in the North needs teachers with cultural and linguistic qualifications. Advantages of rural areas are close communities, good school-community…