One of the most critical elements of a nation’s social infrastructure is its system of education. Concerns with accessibility, achievement, and choice are significant elements in determining the quality of life for all communities, but most especially for rural communities where...

Operative instruments supporting the multifunctionality of agriculture. The influence of social capital on the economic and social development of the Czech countryside. Serbia at the gates of the European Union – comparative analysis. Rural population decline in the Visegrad Four countries and...

Over the past four decades almost 400 U.S. counties have persistently experienced poverty rates in excess of 20%. This raises the question of whether poverty-reducing policies should be directed more at helping people or helping the places where they reside. Using a variety of approaches,...

Rural America, over time, will become less distinct with respect to policies and institutions, and increasingly operate by the same set of rules and constraints that apply to the larger, urban-dominated, society. At what point will many rural institutions (such the Farm Credit Services, and the...

The challenges associated with (back-) migration of people to rural communities in the 1990s are examined. It is argued that reducing the "brain drain" from rural areas through the creation of job opportunities for college-educated individuals, is central to an effective rural(community)...

Factors behind marginalisation and competitiveness in the social and economic structure of Polish rural areas after the EU accession. Scope and consequences of differentiation of farm functions in regional perspective. Role of non-farming activities in shaping new structures in rural areas....

This study reports trends in rural low-skill employment in the 1990s and their impact on the rural workforce. The share of rural jobs classified as low-skill fell by 2.2 percentage points between 1990 and 2000, twice the decline of the urban low-skill employment share, but much less than the...

This paper briefly examines how social capital affects overall economic growth processes and individual firm development, both positively and negatively, in low- and middle-income countries. The paper discusses how the concept of social capital is related to simple economic growth models and to...

Data from a national telephone survey of working-aged adults in the continental US is combined with US Census 2000 data to explore the determinants of attachment to place and time preferences for jobs, natural amenities, and financial assets. Five regions in the US were delineated so that...

In this paper, we review the tourism impact from state supported events associated with Texas Rural Economic Development program and in the process of funding measure aspects of events that are found to be related to economic value. The economic values are the result of visitor spending and...