The relationship between a state's metro and nonmetro economic performance is a key consideration in determining whether a special rural development policy is appropriate for that state. This report compares the economic performance of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in 49 states, 1979-86. On average, metropolitan areas enjoyed higher…

Some 280 industry, education, labor, and state and local government leaders exchanged information about how Appalachian programs can harness technology to make traditional industries more competitive, package capital for job-creating industries and business, launch service industries, match education with jobs, and fit displaced workers into the…

Economies in rural areas during the 1980s were characterized by (1) fewer jobs in resource-based industries; (2) job shifts from manufacturing to services; (3) an increasing concentration of low-wage, low-skill jobs in rural areas; and (4) a growing earnings gap and outmigration of the best educated rural workers. (KS)

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)

Consequences of population turnaround for rural economic development are examined in a 9-county region of Northern Lower Michigan. Data from census reports and 374 usable responses to a questionnaire mailed to a random sample of property owners drawn from 1982 county tax assessment rolls were used to test competing hypotheses about rural…

This analysis of employment patterns in the American South extends a 1985 report, "After the Factories: Changing Employment Patterns in the Rural South," which was based on the years between 1977-1982. The 1985 report included Texas, but this analysis includes only the 12 Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB) member states. This new…

Data on a commercial and an agricultural Guatemalan population indicates most peasants derive income from both agricultural and nonagricultural sources. While disguised employment does not utilize labor at its most efficient level, development projects should complement traditional economic activities and recognize that diversion of peasant labor…

An analysis of a 1979 questionnaire and interviews with young women leaving school or continuing their education in country areas of Tasmania revealed that the females were having greater difficulty in obtaining employment and were the most isolated when unemployed. For this reason it was considered desirable to continue the study. A questionnaire…