Why US rural policy matters

In Why US Rural Policy Matters, Brookings’ Anthony Pipa pushes back against dismissive narratives about rural America and calls for a national rural policy that invests in local leadership, equity, and sustainability. He highlights how federal and state policies often overlook rural capacity and how structural forces—from corporate consolidation to uneven government support—undermine community well-being. At Aspen CSG, we see this argument as reinforcing the urgent need to center rural voices and assets in policymaking, ensuring that prosperity is built with, not for, communities.