Current interpretations of central Appalachia's chronic poverty focus on the region's economic dependence on the bituminous coal industry, controlled by absentee investors and serving an external market. Such theories overlook the ways in which the agricultural sector shaped subsequent industrial development. By analyzing the farm economy of 16…

A detailed examination of one agriculturally dependent Nebraska county was conducted to determine the changes believed to be underway as a result of the economic hard times associated with the farm crisis of the early 1980s. Fillmore county, with a 1980 population of 5098, was selected as it derived 25% of its total labor, salary, and proprietary…

In the early 1960's, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) established a goal to make health care more accessible to the people of the mountains. Today, a primary health care facility is within a 30 minute drive of nearly all Appalachian counties. There has also been a substantial, but still inadequate increase in health care professionals in…

This publication reports accomplishments of the National Extension Task Force for Community Leadership and makes recommendations for strengthening educational programming in community leadership in the Cooperative Extension System. The recommendations are presented in the context of a "white paper" rather than formal policy. High…

Since all Agency for International Development (AID) projects require an evaluation component, AID's emphasis on assistance to agriculture and rural development projects ensures a continuing need for skilled and expert personnel to evaluate those projects. Intended for potential AID project evaluators, this guide uses experience gained from field…

Public officials in all towns and cities--especially those in smaller communities that participate less frequently in the bond market-- need information to assist them in answering questions concerning bond financing. One in a series developed by the Western Rural Development Center, this booklet introduces three general approaches to financing…

In recent years, rural sociology has been the subject of sociological inquiries. Many of these have been highly critical, raising questions about the ontological nature of the discipline. This paper extends the tradition, providing a brief historical analysis of rural sociology's roots as both theoretical and applied and critiquing current rural…

This document presents a rationale and procedures for a series of workshops on land use planning. It was developed initially as a response to the need for information and materials for land use planning in rural Alaska. A four cycle planning model is provided and a suggested format is offered for an individual workshop session. Each session…

In the context of meeting the requirements of environmental legislation, the social change perspective is inadequate because of what is not examined. The social change perspective fails to address a crucial concept in environmental impact analysis--the concept of social cost. It is not up to the researcher to define social cost, but it is his…

The first part of the Overseas Liaison committee's bulletin on women in rural development was published in July 1976. Part 2 features brief summaries of action programs and current research, research projects and proposals, conferences and workshops, publications, and films, all focusing on rural women in the developing countries of Africa, Latin…

This volume posits the existence of a gap between theory and practice in rural-development efforts involving communication media and provides suggestions for integrating the efforts of theoreticians and practitioners. Chapter one briefly reviews the development of theoretical concepts about the nature of communication and the use of communication…

An Appalachian Regional Commission survey of 180 institutions of higher education in the Appalachian Region pinpoints which institutions offer technical assistance to state and local governments and officals. (Author)

The testimony of ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission) officials and the Governors of Appalachian states at Congressional hearings constitutes a report on ARC's current status and program plans. (JC)

Prepared by the Research Unit of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace to assist those interested in current international affairs, this Glossary contains 56 terms and their definitions, which provide a brief explanation of the main issues and organizations involved in international development questions. Examples of the terms included are:…

A "communication system" paradigm for dissemination of appropriate knowledge, information, and technology needed for effective rural development is briefly described. The paradigm describes six categories of interrelated functions, activities, and processes: (1) scientific knowledge production by carrying out basic and applied research; (2)…