ERIC Number: EJ784303
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2003-Jun
Pages: 25
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-0112
EISSN: N/A
Local Economic Development in an Age of Devolution: The Question of Rural Localities
Dewees, Sarah; Lobao, Linda; Swanson, Louis E.
Rural Sociology, v68 n2 p182-206 Jun 2003
There is limited recent research on the strategies that rural local governments are employing in the face of changing intergovernmental relationships, especially in relation to local economic development. This paper draws on data from a survey of local governments in the Ohio River Valley Region that includes a mix of localities on the urban-rural continuum, to empirically address three issues. First, we examined the extent to which county governments have undertaken local economic development initiatives as well as other, extra-economic activities designed to improve community well-being. Second, we assessed the extent to which rural county governments vary from urban counties in their activities and available resources. Finally, we employed logistic regression models of factors associated with use of development strategies to determine the relationship between rurality and local development policy activities. The results show that rural counties are less likely than urban counties to undertake various economic development activities, with observed urban-rural differences largely attributable to county socioeconomic disadvantages, such as poverty and education. (Contains 6 tables.)
Descriptors: Economic Development, Rural Areas, Counties, Local Government, Poverty, Rural Urban Differences, Regression (Statistics), Models, Academic Achievement
Rural Sociological Society. 104 Gentry Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7040. Tel: 573-882-9065; Fax: 573-882-1473; e-mail: ruralsoc@missouri.edu; Web site: http://www.ruralsociology.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A