Policy & Data

The Rural Poor: What We Know and What We Need to Know
Report examines gaps in adequate policy-oriented research on the rural poor and what can be done to resolve it.

The Impact of Tourism on Rural Women in the Southeast
Paper seeks to shed light on tourism industry jobs, much of which are overwhelmingly female (food servers, maids, and retail clerks).

The Case of Rural UDAG Grants
Document provides background into nature of Urban Development Action Grant Program (UDAG), differentiated from other programs in that the grants require letters of commitment from the developer and at least 2.5 dollars of private investment for every dollar of UDAG funds.

How Family Farms Deal with Unexpected Financial Stress (final report)
This paper's purpose is to facilitate effective decision making by individual farm families, non-farm persons in rural communities, and local to national public policy makers as they considered their responses to the unexpected farm financial reversals of the 1980s.

Job Creation, Business Growth and State Policy: Glimpses of the Third Wave
Paper seeks to analyze the role of entrepreneurship as a means of combining resources and adding value to institutions in order to improve public policy.

Rural America and High Technology
Document explores impact of tech industry growth and Rural community capture of job gains.

California Senate Concurrent Resolution No.34 – Relative to the state’s Hispanic population
Selection of California Senate Resolution discussing Hispanic population in California directed to Regents of the University of California.

Community Development Organizations and Research: What Works and Why?
This paper seeks to improve general understanding of how some local and regional nonprofit, public interest organizations successfully use research to inform their rural development strategies.

Letter of Correspondence between Cynthia Duncan, Juan Vicente Palerm, and William A. Diaz.
This file contains a collection of documents primarily focused on the economic and social issues surrounding the apparel industry in the United States, as well as a section detailing research on Hispanic issues in California.

The Dynamics of Trade and Employment, Chapter 4 & Chapter 7
This file contains a collection of documents primarily related to the Rural Economic Policy Program (REPP) of The Aspen Institute and the University of California's response to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 43 (SCR 43) concerning the state's Hispanic population. It also includes an excerpt from a publication titled "The Dynamics of Trade and Employment," specifically a chapter on the apparel industry by Carol A. Parsons.

Gaps in Our Understanding of Rural Communities
Cynthia M. Duncan's paper, "GAPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF RURAL COMMUNITIES," discusses the need for better data and analysis to inform rural policy.

101 Ideas for Stimulating Rural Entrepreneurship
Report outlines ways States can stimulate business development by nurturing and rewarding entrepreneurial activity.