State of the Science
Web-based Conference
April 17-20, 2012
Overview of Rural America: Past, Present and Future
Brian Dabson, Nancy Arnold, and Tom Seekins
Review of Rural America
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Committed to
changing the
narrative about the
role rural people
and places play in
the life, prosperity,
and well-being of
our nation…
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Rural Futures Lab
Natural
Resources
Management
Ecosystems
Services
Alternative
Energy
Food Systems
TRACK
Economic
Drivers
Rural
Futures
Lab
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POLICY
ANALYSIS
3
Rural Futures Lab
Natural
Resources
Management
Philanthropy
Ecosystems
Services
Alternative
Energy
Youth Engagement
Entrepreneurship
Food Systems
TRACK
CHAMPION
Economic
Drivers
Social
Innovations
Rural
Futures
Lab
Review of Rural America
POLICY
ANALYSIS
4
Rural Futures Lab
Philanthropy
Youth Engagement
Entrepreneurship
Natural
Resources
Management
Ecosystems
Services
Alternative
Energy
Food Systems
TRACK
CHAMPION
Social
Innovations
Economic
Drivers
Governance
Regional
Development
Rural-Urban
PROMOTE
Regional
Collaboration
Rural
Futures
Lab
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POLICY
ANALYSIS
5
New Rural Narrative
• Focus on opportunities that
– Contribute to local, regional, national (and even
global) prosperity
– Build on community and regional assets
– Are enabled by flexible, integrated policies and
programs
– Are brought about by regional partnerships and
collaborations
– Are made possible by enhanced institutional capacity
– Are supported by high-quality modern infrastructure
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Attitude shifts…
• Changing the relationship between rural and urban
– Not rural vs. urban but (rural + urban) = regional
• Embracing complexity and diversity
– Not “one size fits all” but “horses for courses”
– Not one rural America but many
• New approaches to economic development
– Not wasteful subsidies and tax incentives but investments
in creating asset-based economic opportunity
• Recognizing the criticality of institutional capacity
– Not consolidation and contractions but enhancement of
anchor institutions, technology, innovation
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Presentation Structure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is rural?
How is rural America changing?
What are the main trends?
What are some promising strategies?
What needs to be done to enhance rural
capacity?
6. What do you think are the implications for
people with disabilities?
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Core Based Statistical Areas
The official definition from the US
Census Bureau and the Office of
Management & Budget
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This is urban:
K.K. Miller, RUPRI
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And so is this:
K.K. Miller, RUPRI
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K.K. Miller, RUPRI
This is rural:
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And so is this:
K.K. Miller, RUPRI
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Most Counties are Urban and Rural!
Coconino County, Arizona
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% US Population (281 million: 2000)
A.M. Isserman (2005)
8
10
Urban Metro
2
Mixed Urban Metro
45
Mixed Rural Metro
Rural Metro
Mixed Rural Nonmetro
21
Rural Nonmetro
14
232.6 million (82%) in 1,089 metro
counties
48.8 million (18%) in 2,052 nonmetro
counties
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% U.S. Rural Population (59 million: 2000)
A.M. Isserman (2005)
5
10
27
Urban Metro
Mixed Urban Metro
Mixed Rural Metro
Rural Metro
27
Mixed Rural Nonmetro
Rural Nonmetro
22
51% of rural population
in metro areas
49% in nonmetro areas
9
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U.S. Census Bureau
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Persistent Child Poverty in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan America
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K.M. Johnson (2011)
OLD PARADIGM
NEW PARADIGM
Rural-Urban Relationships
•
•
Urban vs. Rural competition for resources
Careful definition of urban/metro – rural the
residual
•
•
Urban-rural linkages, interdependence
Definitions based on continuum, greater
recognition of small cities/towns
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OLD PARADIGM
NEW PARADIGM
Rural-Urban Relationships
•
•
Urban vs. Rural competition for resources
Careful definition of urban/metro – rural the
residual
•
•
Urban-rural linkages, interdependence
Definitions based on continuum, greater
recognition of small cities/towns
•
•
•
•
•
Recognize diversity, complexity of rural US
Priority to building on regional/local assets
Regional delivery systems, technology
Building rural institutional capacity
Place-based, bottom-up
Rural Policy
•
•
•
•
•
One-size-fits all policies
Priority to correcting disadvantage
Consolidation
Darwinism in resource allocation
Top-down priorities, standards
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OLD PARADIGM
NEW PARADIGM
Rural-Urban Relationships
•
•
Urban vs. Rural competition for resources
Careful definition of urban/metro – rural the
residual
•
•
Urban-rural linkages, interdependence
Definitions based on continuum, greater
recognition of small cities/towns
•
•
•
•
•
Recognize diversity, complexity of rural US
Priority to building on regional/local assets
Regional delivery systems, technology
Building rural institutional capacity
Place-based, bottom-up
•
•
Policy focused on regional collaboration
Economic development is entrepreneurship,
regional collaboration
US prosperity also based on stewardship of
land and natural resources
Rural Policy
•
•
•
•
•
One-size-fits all policies
Priority to correcting disadvantage
Consolidation
Darwinism in resource allocation
Top-down priorities, standards
Economic and Regional Development
•
•
•
Farm policy is rural policy; subsidies
Economic development is recruitment
US prosperity based on 100 top metros
•
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OLD PARADIGM
NEW PARADIGM
Rural-Urban Relationships
•
•
Urban vs. Rural competition for resources
Careful definition of urban/metro – rural the
residual
•
•
Urban-rural linkages, interdependence
Definitions based on continuum, greater
recognition of small cities/towns
•
•
•
•
•
Recognize diversity, complexity of rural US
Priority to building on regional/local assets
Regional delivery systems, technology
Building rural institutional capacity
Place-based, bottom-up
•
•
Policy focused on regional collaboration
Economic development is entrepreneurship,
regional collaboration
US prosperity also based on stewardship of
land and natural resources
Rural Policy
•
•
•
•
•
One-size-fits all policies
Priority to correcting disadvantage
Consolidation
Darwinism in resource allocation
Top-down priorities, standards
Economic and Regional Development
•
•
•
Farm policy is rural policy; subsidies
Economic development is recruitment
US prosperity based on 100 top metros
•
Control of Wealth and Resources
•
•
Extraction, exploitation of natural resources
Resources controlled, managed by outsiders
•
Focus on wealth retention, creation; resources
managed to triple-bottom line
• Resources increasingly controlled, managed by
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local interests
Entrepreneurial
Communities
Fostering entrepreneurship as a
rural economic development
strategy
Transfer of
Wealth
Wealth
Creation
Assets
Strategies
Community
Development
Finance
Matched
Savings
Accounts
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www.energizingentrepreneurs.org
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Capturing wealth as it is passed
from generation to generation for
community development
Entrepreneurial
Communities
Transfer of
Wealth
Wealth
Creation
Assets
Strategies
Community
Development
Finance
Matched
Savings
Accounts
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Transfer of Wealth in Rural America
Don Macke, Deborah Markley and
Ahmet Binerer (2011)
www.energizingentrepreneurs.org
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Entrepreneurial
Communities
Transfer of
Wealth
Wealth
Creation
Assets
Strategies
Community
Development
Finance
Strategies that build wealth based
on an array of assets – financial,
social, natural, etc.
Matched
Savings
Accounts
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http://ruralwealth.org
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Entrepreneurial
Communities
Transfer of
Wealth
Wealth
Creation
Assets
Mechanisms for channeling
private, public, philanthropic
investments into community
development
Strategies
Community
Development
Finance
Matched
Savings
Accounts
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www.opportunityfinance.net
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Entrepreneurial
Communities
Intergenerational
Wealth Transfer
Wealth Creation
Assets
Strategies
Community
Development
Finance
Matched Savings
Accounts
Approaches to helping poor
people save for long-term
personal development goals
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www.cfed.org
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Community colleges,
Hospitals or clinics,
High schools
Anchor
Institutions
Enhanced
Rural
Capacity
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Formal or informal,
private/public/nonprofit led efforts
to create regional strategies
Anchor
Institutions
Regional
Collaboration
Enhanced
Rural
Capacity
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Regional
Collaboration
Anchor
Institutions
Community
Foundations
Enhanced
Rural
Capacity
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Local/regional institutions for
stimulating, collecting,
allocating philanthropic
donations
36
Regional
Collaboration
Anchor
Institutions
Community
Foundations
Enhanced
Rural
Capacity
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Delivery
Systems
Innovative alternatives to
consolidation; providing health
and education services
wherever needed
37
RURAL REGIONAL POLICY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
WEALTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COMMUNITY ASSETS
ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS
CAPACITY COLLABORATION
SYSTEMS
What do you think are the implications for
people with disabilities?
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