Rural Knowledge Center

Explaining the New Spatial Inequality: Regulatory Policy and Local Economic Capacity

This report, titled "EXPLAINING THE NEW SPATIAL INEQUALITY Regulatory Policy and Local Economic Capacity" by Susan Christopherson (May 1991), argues that increasing spatial inequality in the U.S., evidenced by income disparities, unemployment rates, and access to basic services, is not solely due to changing market conditions.

The Myth of The Coming Labor Shortage in Rural Areas

This Economic Policy Institute briefing paper, "The Myth of the Coming Labor Shortage in Rural Areas," by Ruy A. Teixeira and Lawrence Mishel (March 1992), challenges the conventional wisdom that a "skills mismatch" and a "service economy" will lead to a surge in demand for highly skilled workers, particularly in rural areas.

New Partnerships for Industrial Efficiency and Growth: Selected Best Practices

This file is a document from the Northeast-Midwest Institute, dated August 16, 1991, detailing a policy retreat on encouraging utility involvement in economic development activities, specifically focusing on industrial modernization and energy-efficient technologies.

The Great Plains, Canada and Mexico: Policy Issues in Rural Development and the Free Trade Agreement

This paper, "The Great Plains, Canada and Mexico: Policy Issues in Rural Development and the Free Trade Agreement" by Cathy Quantic (August 1991), discusses the economic shift in North America from an east-west to a north-south orientation, largely driven by the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Canada and impending talks for an FTA with Mexico.

A Program To Strengthen The Research Capacity of Rural Community Development Organizations

This report is a proposal for supplemental funding to continue the Research Capacity Initiative (RCI), a project that assists rural development organizations with research. The proposal, submitted by Priscilla Salant of Washington State University in September 1991, requests $153,000 from the Ford Foundation and the Aspen Institute.

Homelessness In Rural Places: Perspectives From Upstate New York

This academic article, "Homelessness In Rural Places: Perspectives From Upstate New York" by Janet M. Fitchen, argues that rural homelessness is a significant yet overlooked issue, largely because it doesn't fit urban-centric definitions and perceptions.

Piney Road: Work, Education, and the Re-Making of the Southern Family" by Jacqueline J. Saindon examines the impact of work and education on rural Southern families, focusing on Gresham County. The research, supported by the Rural Economic Policy Program of the Aspen Institute and Ford Foundation, investigates how low literacy rates and available low-skill, low-wage jobs in industries like poultry farming affect economic development and educational attainment.

Limited Access: Health Care for the Rural Poor

This report, "Limited Access: Health Care for the Rural Poor" by Laura Summer, published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in March 1991, examines the challenges rural residents, especially those with low incomes, face in accessing health care services.

Best Practices: New Partnerships for Industrial Efficiency

Report presents four of the most progressive industrial energy-efficiency programs in order to provide insight for future programs.

The Budgetary Implications of Reducing U.S. Income Inequality Through Transfer Programs

Report uses data from the Census Bureau regarding list and asset information at the household level to provide perspective on relative costs of reducing income inequality by increasing program benefits.

Perspectives of Rural Homelessness from Upstate New York

This article seeks to provide insight on rural homelessness based on field research in scattered rural communities in New York State.

Piney Road: Work, Education, and Family Dynamics

Paper aims to use case study of several families in the Piney Road community of Georgia to highlight situational aspects of poverty, education, family, and work in the Rural South.