Rural Development Research: A Foundation for Policy

Currently, the research community lacks the capacity to provide accurate, up-to-date information about conditions and trends in rural areas. Bringing together some of the best known rural development researchers, this volume begins to build an information base that can serve as a foundation for rural development policy. It deals with four components of development―education, entrepreneurship, physical infrastructure, and social infrastructure. The opening chapters address two aspects of each component―the use of the component to achieve rural development and measuring the impact of its use. The volume then applies specific analytic methods of measuring impact to each component.

The opening chapters address two aspects of each component―the concept of using that component to achieve rural development and the concept of measuring its impact. The volume then examines analytic methods of measuring impact. Following an overview of analytic methods, chapters apply a different analytic technique to each of the components. The techniques considered include econometric models, computable general equilibrium models, input-output analysis, and the case-study method.

THOMAS D. ROWLEY is a social science analyst in the Rural Economy Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he manages ERS's program of research support to the State Rural Development Councils and its involvement in the National Rural Development Partnership.

DAVID W. SEARS is senior policy analyst with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce. His focus is on using manufacturing extension centers as an economic development tool.

GLENN L. NELSON is an economic counsultant in regional development policy in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His current research focuses on the regional and sectoral impacts of changes in entitlement policies and associated fiscal policies.

J. NORMAN REID is director of Community Outreach Services for the Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has written a number of publications on rural economic and social trends in the United States and OECD countries.

MERVIN J. YETLEY is a former staff member of the Committee on Agriculture, U.S. House of Representatives, where he worked on rural development, agriculture, and trade issues. He also has experience in international development and is author or coauthor of over 50 publications.