Rural Development Perspectives

Volume 13, Number 3

Rural Development Perspectives is published three times per year by the Economic Research Service. To order Rural Development Perspectives or any other ERS publication, please visit the ERS-NASS Sales Desk.

Articles in this issue:

• The Continuing Population Rebound in Nonmetro America, by Kenneth M. Johnson and Calvin L. Beale. Since 1990, nonmetro population growth rates have rebounded from the low levels of the 1980’s. Three of every four rural counties have grown. Migration from metro areas and foreign countries has produced most of this growth—with a net gain of 1.8 million from 1990 to 1996. In contrast, natural increase from excess of births over deaths contributed less to these recent gains than it did in the past.

• Racial and Spatial Equity in Welfare Programs: Interstate and Intercounty Differences in Welfare Spending, by Mark Nord. States where a large proportion of the poor are rural residents or racial/ethnic minorities offered lower levels of welfare support under the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program than did other States. No corresponding rural or racial/ethnic disadvantages are observed in the Food Stamp Program, which has standard eligibility criteria and benefit levels nationwide. Among counties within States, there is no evidence that rural counties or counties with high proportions of minority population fared worse than other counties.

• Rural Poor Have Less Access to Supermarkets, Large Grocery Stores, by Phil R. Kaufman. Poor households in rural areas rely more on smaller grocery stores and supermarkets than do metro area households, and they may face higher average food prices and reduced access to food as a result. Net accessibility was found to be lower for a greater percentage of low-income households compared with all households in the Lower Mississippi Delta. Over 70 percent of the total low-income population in the 36-county area suffered accessibility shortfalls, requiring trips of more than 30 miles to reach a large retailer.

• Local Government Financial Capacity and the Growing Importance of State Aid, by Mildred E. Warner. Since the 1970’s, the Federal Government has been turning back funding and authority to State and local governments. Devolution has important implications for local government finances. As direct Federal funds to counties decline, local wealth and the redistributive role played by the States become more important in determining local capacity for spending.

• Do Rural Youth Attain Their Educational Goals? by Debra L. Blackwell and Diane K. McLaughlin. While boys and girls have similar educational aspirations and eventually attain similar educational levels, family background characteristics matter more to girls, especially rural girls. Additionally, rural girls do not enjoy the same educational benefits from taking part in extracurricular activities, despite the fact that they have relatively high participation rates. In contrast, male aspirations and attainment appear to be less the result of family background processes and more a result of their own achievement and activities.

• Impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 for Rural Areas, by Randall S. Sell, F. Larry Leistritz, and John C. Allen. The goals of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 include lower prices and higher quality services for customers. However, about 90 percent of 127 small telephone companies that responded to a nationwide survey believed that rural customers would benefit very little or not at all from the act’s provisions. Rather, they believed the major benefits will accrue to business, high-toll (typically high-volume users), and urban customers, and to large telecommunications companies.

• Multi-Agency Service Teams: A New Approach in Maine To Deliver Technical Assistance to Rural Manufacturers, by Shanna Ratner. In 1994, the State of Maine began an experiment to improve the coordination of technical assistance to wood products manufacturers. State and Federal agencies worked with colleges, private consultants, and nonprofit organizations to target assistance to the particular needs of the wood products industry. Results were generally positive but also showed the need to carefully match assistance with the requirements of the individual firm and to improve teamwork among service providers.

Contents

Editor's Notebook and Contents, 51 kb

The Continuing Population Rebound in Nonmetro America, 1,515 kb

Racial and Spatial Equity in Welfare Programs: Interstate and Intercounty Differences in Welfare Spending, 76 kb

Rural Poor Have Less Access to Supermarkets, Large Grocery Stores, 1,076 kb

Local Government Financial Capacity and the Growing Importance of State Aid, 187 kb

Do Rural Youth Attain Their Educational Goals?, 48 kb

Impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 for Rural Areas, 39 kb

Multi-Agency Service Teams: A New Approach in Maine To Deliver Technical Assistance to Rural Manufacturers, 73 kb

Book Reviews, 24 kb

Download entire issue, 3,043 kb

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Updated: April 14, 1999