As a result of concern over three related issues-a renewed interest in self-help mechanisms , the... more As a result of concern over three related issues-a renewed interest in self-help mechanisms , the farm crisis of the 1980s, and the renewed recognition of rural poverty-an agenda which focuses on rural development has emerged. Central to the formation of rural development strategies is the role of community action. This paper reviews some of the searching questions about the whats and whys of community action, about the distinctive problems and potentials of community action, and about how rural community action can be promoted. Rural development has been on the national agenda in the United States since the early 1970s. Despite this, little concrete policy has been formulated. It is only now, at the end of the 1980s, that there is growing momentum toward the development of a national rural development agenda. This resurgence reflects three important and interrelated factors: (1) a resurgence of interest in promulgating self-help and community action mechanisms at local levels; (2) ...
Rapid development of the US natural gas industry over the last decade has been fueled primarily b... more Rapid development of the US natural gas industry over the last decade has been fueled primarily by technological advances in horizontal drilling and high-volume, multistage hydraulic fracturing (IEA 2012). Hydraulic fracturing - an industrial process frequently called fracking, fracing, or frac'ing - involves flushing large volumes of frac fluid (i.e., a mixture of water and proppant, along with small volumes of friction reducers, disinfectants, and other chemicals) into wells at extremely high pressure levels to create and/or magnify small fissures, or fractures, in the shale formations (King 2012; Theodori et al. 2014). The fracturing of shale gas formations increases recovery by enabling higher permeability through the reservoirs to the wellbores (King 2012).Of late, the topic of hydraulic fracturing has increasingly dominated public discourse and popular press writings (Dobb 2103; Marsa 2011; Walsh 2011). Environmental, social, and behavioral scientists have also begun study...
The growing American retired population increasingly is viewed for its economic development poten... more The growing American retired population increasingly is viewed for its economic development potential. The relationship between the elderly and local taxes may have a critical effect on this potential, however. This paper examines the local tax implications of an increasing elderly population in communities prohibiting tax referenda. In such communities, citizens have no direct role in tax decisions. The elderly's attitudes towards different local taxes are examined using telephone survey data, before using aggregate data to investigate the relationship between the elderly and the specific taxes used in communities. The results suggest that a high proportion of elderly do not affect the mix of local taxes, but that an increasing proportion does have an influence.
Abstract Many rural communities are facing complicated risks resulting from unconventional oil an... more Abstract Many rural communities are facing complicated risks resulting from unconventional oil and gas development and hydraulic fracturing. This study focuses on residents’ experiences of risk and the factors limiting local leader’s efforts to protect residents. Data for this research were obtained through interviews with community leaders, industry officials, and focus groups with private citizens. Data collection occurred in four counties in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas. Study participants shared examples of how their lives were impacted by increased truck traffic, food and housing insecurity, flaring of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) gas, and concerns about water contamination. Community leaders confront a tension between supporting economic growth and development associated with energy development, and managing these negative social and environmental outcomes. We identify three significant factors that weaken the power and limit the ability of local governments to effectively advocate for their communities. First, rural communities lack the staffing, expertise, and financial resources to properly cope with development. Second, the rural geography makes it difficult for local governments to work collaboratively across political borders. Third, the dominant conservative political values make it difficult for local leaders to advocate for increases in regional, state, or federal regulation.
As in our last several volumes, this issue of the Journal has a range of articles that will be of... more As in our last several volumes, this issue of the Journal has a range of articles that will be of interest to our readers. It begins with an article focusing on American Indian casino gambling which reports on the experiences of several western tribes. Attention is given to some of the more salient community development implications of casino gambling for tribal members. This is followed by two commentaries on this paper. The first suggests that there are important differences between casino gaming as a form of community versus economic development, while the latter focuses on common misinterpretations about federal policy dealing with American Indians. In turn, these commentaries are followed by a rejoinder by the original authors. Such discussion is central to the growth of our discipline and I am pleased to be able to include this exchange in our Journal. Conceptual distinctions between the community attachment and satisfaction literature is the central theme of the next paper. The author identifies theoretical, methodological, and measurement issues associated with these distinctions and provides illustrations and suggestions for further research. We then turn our attention to how nonmetropolitan Wisconsin households cope with economic change. The results of this study reinforce our need to integrate community, social, and economic development if we are to develop meaningful policy. Then we turn to a study on the relationship between labor market involvement and community participation in a sample of Iowa small towns. The authors find partial support for their findings in social capital theory. In the next paper, the important role that cooperatives play in community development is highlighted through an analysis of factors that determine success for a sample of non-agricultural cooperative businesses. Following that, we are provided a novel perspective on how third-wave, sustainable strategies can be viewed as being compatible with local economic development efforts. Suggestions are made that provide a means for their incorporation in current strategies. Finally, in our commentary section, we are reminded about the continued need for researchers and policy makers alike to pay careful attention to how we define and use various terms.
Management of the nation's forests has been widely criticized. Such criticisms stem, in part... more Management of the nation's forests has been widely criticized. Such criticisms stem, in part, from the widely held belief that owners and managers of nonindustrial private forests (NIPFs) have a vested economic interest in the resource not shared by the general public. As a result, ...
The hand delivery of self-administered questionnaires has been presented as an alternative for re... more The hand delivery of self-administered questionnaires has been presented as an alternative for reducing non-coverage error associated with the mail method at lower cost than face-to-face interviews. This research note draws from experiences using the hand delivery technique ...
Journal of the Northeastern Agricultural Economics Council
The role of community attachments in decision-making models of migration is evaluated. Findings o... more The role of community attachments in decision-making models of migration is evaluated. Findings of a block model analysis (with multiple partials) are reported with data from a longitudinal study. Findings indicate that attachments to community only partially explain willingness to move.
When gathering information and planning for community forest policies and programs, planners, mun... more When gathering information and planning for community forest policies and programs, planners, municipal foresters, and arborists can find it difficult to identify, involve, and listen to all persons important and affected. Accordingly, the concerns, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of some people continue to be misstated, unknown, and ignored. Furthermore, some people continue to be excluded in information gathering and planning
As a result of concern over three related issues-a renewed interest in self-help mechanisms , the... more As a result of concern over three related issues-a renewed interest in self-help mechanisms , the farm crisis of the 1980s, and the renewed recognition of rural poverty-an agenda which focuses on rural development has emerged. Central to the formation of rural development strategies is the role of community action. This paper reviews some of the searching questions about the whats and whys of community action, about the distinctive problems and potentials of community action, and about how rural community action can be promoted. Rural development has been on the national agenda in the United States since the early 1970s. Despite this, little concrete policy has been formulated. It is only now, at the end of the 1980s, that there is growing momentum toward the development of a national rural development agenda. This resurgence reflects three important and interrelated factors: (1) a resurgence of interest in promulgating self-help and community action mechanisms at local levels; (2) ...
Rapid development of the US natural gas industry over the last decade has been fueled primarily b... more Rapid development of the US natural gas industry over the last decade has been fueled primarily by technological advances in horizontal drilling and high-volume, multistage hydraulic fracturing (IEA 2012). Hydraulic fracturing - an industrial process frequently called fracking, fracing, or frac'ing - involves flushing large volumes of frac fluid (i.e., a mixture of water and proppant, along with small volumes of friction reducers, disinfectants, and other chemicals) into wells at extremely high pressure levels to create and/or magnify small fissures, or fractures, in the shale formations (King 2012; Theodori et al. 2014). The fracturing of shale gas formations increases recovery by enabling higher permeability through the reservoirs to the wellbores (King 2012).Of late, the topic of hydraulic fracturing has increasingly dominated public discourse and popular press writings (Dobb 2103; Marsa 2011; Walsh 2011). Environmental, social, and behavioral scientists have also begun study...
The growing American retired population increasingly is viewed for its economic development poten... more The growing American retired population increasingly is viewed for its economic development potential. The relationship between the elderly and local taxes may have a critical effect on this potential, however. This paper examines the local tax implications of an increasing elderly population in communities prohibiting tax referenda. In such communities, citizens have no direct role in tax decisions. The elderly's attitudes towards different local taxes are examined using telephone survey data, before using aggregate data to investigate the relationship between the elderly and the specific taxes used in communities. The results suggest that a high proportion of elderly do not affect the mix of local taxes, but that an increasing proportion does have an influence.
Abstract Many rural communities are facing complicated risks resulting from unconventional oil an... more Abstract Many rural communities are facing complicated risks resulting from unconventional oil and gas development and hydraulic fracturing. This study focuses on residents’ experiences of risk and the factors limiting local leader’s efforts to protect residents. Data for this research were obtained through interviews with community leaders, industry officials, and focus groups with private citizens. Data collection occurred in four counties in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas. Study participants shared examples of how their lives were impacted by increased truck traffic, food and housing insecurity, flaring of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) gas, and concerns about water contamination. Community leaders confront a tension between supporting economic growth and development associated with energy development, and managing these negative social and environmental outcomes. We identify three significant factors that weaken the power and limit the ability of local governments to effectively advocate for their communities. First, rural communities lack the staffing, expertise, and financial resources to properly cope with development. Second, the rural geography makes it difficult for local governments to work collaboratively across political borders. Third, the dominant conservative political values make it difficult for local leaders to advocate for increases in regional, state, or federal regulation.
As in our last several volumes, this issue of the Journal has a range of articles that will be of... more As in our last several volumes, this issue of the Journal has a range of articles that will be of interest to our readers. It begins with an article focusing on American Indian casino gambling which reports on the experiences of several western tribes. Attention is given to some of the more salient community development implications of casino gambling for tribal members. This is followed by two commentaries on this paper. The first suggests that there are important differences between casino gaming as a form of community versus economic development, while the latter focuses on common misinterpretations about federal policy dealing with American Indians. In turn, these commentaries are followed by a rejoinder by the original authors. Such discussion is central to the growth of our discipline and I am pleased to be able to include this exchange in our Journal. Conceptual distinctions between the community attachment and satisfaction literature is the central theme of the next paper. The author identifies theoretical, methodological, and measurement issues associated with these distinctions and provides illustrations and suggestions for further research. We then turn our attention to how nonmetropolitan Wisconsin households cope with economic change. The results of this study reinforce our need to integrate community, social, and economic development if we are to develop meaningful policy. Then we turn to a study on the relationship between labor market involvement and community participation in a sample of Iowa small towns. The authors find partial support for their findings in social capital theory. In the next paper, the important role that cooperatives play in community development is highlighted through an analysis of factors that determine success for a sample of non-agricultural cooperative businesses. Following that, we are provided a novel perspective on how third-wave, sustainable strategies can be viewed as being compatible with local economic development efforts. Suggestions are made that provide a means for their incorporation in current strategies. Finally, in our commentary section, we are reminded about the continued need for researchers and policy makers alike to pay careful attention to how we define and use various terms.
Management of the nation's forests has been widely criticized. Such criticisms stem, in part... more Management of the nation's forests has been widely criticized. Such criticisms stem, in part, from the widely held belief that owners and managers of nonindustrial private forests (NIPFs) have a vested economic interest in the resource not shared by the general public. As a result, ...
The hand delivery of self-administered questionnaires has been presented as an alternative for re... more The hand delivery of self-administered questionnaires has been presented as an alternative for reducing non-coverage error associated with the mail method at lower cost than face-to-face interviews. This research note draws from experiences using the hand delivery technique ...
Journal of the Northeastern Agricultural Economics Council
The role of community attachments in decision-making models of migration is evaluated. Findings o... more The role of community attachments in decision-making models of migration is evaluated. Findings of a block model analysis (with multiple partials) are reported with data from a longitudinal study. Findings indicate that attachments to community only partially explain willingness to move.
When gathering information and planning for community forest policies and programs, planners, mun... more When gathering information and planning for community forest policies and programs, planners, municipal foresters, and arborists can find it difficult to identify, involve, and listen to all persons important and affected. Accordingly, the concerns, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of some people continue to be misstated, unknown, and ignored. Furthermore, some people continue to be excluded in information gathering and planning
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