Rural Sociology Commons^™

The Labor Force Experiences Of Non-College Bound Youth In The South: A Ten-Year Perspective, Lionel J. Beaulieu, Melissa Barfield

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Debates continue to abound regarding the importance of having an educated, well-trained workforce that can effectively fill the technology-sophisticated jobs emerging in the South. No doubt, the ticket to a decent job continues to be tied to a college education. But, the reality is that not all adults are able to secure a post-secondary education. The question is what prospects exist for those individuals who become non-college bound? This study devotes attention to the plight of young adults in the South who graduated from high school in 1982 and who pursued no post-secondary education of any type over the subsequent …

Labor Supply And Underemployment In The Southern United States, Leif Jensen, Jill L. Findeis, Qiuyan Wang

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

We analyze data from selected March Current Population Surveys (U. S. Bureau of the Census) spanning the period 1968 to 1998 to provide a statistical portrait of labor force participation and composition, and underemployment in the nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) and metropolitan (metro) South. The southern labor force has been characterized by many of the same trends seen at the national level. Labor force participation rates have been on the rise in the South, due exclusively to the influx of women into the labor market. For this reason, and due to immigration, the southern labor force has come to consist more of …

Earning Patterns Of Mexican Workers In The Southern Region: A Focus On Nonmetro/Metro Distinctions, Rogelio Saenz

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The last few years have witnessed a tremendous change in the geographic location patterns of the Mexican population in the United States. The rural South represents one of the areas that have seen a noticeable growth in the Mexican population over the last few years. Unfortunately, data necessary to examine the social and economic adjustment of Mexicans in this area are not available at this time. This analysis uses data from the 1990 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) to examine the earnings patterns bf Mexican-origin workers in the South. The sample used to conduct the analysis includes 9,509 Mexican-origin workers …

College Graduates In The Nonmetropolitan South: Origins And Prospects, Robert M. Gibbs

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This study documents the regional origins of the college-experienced population in the nonmetro South, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 Cohort. As of 1994, the nonmetro South had generated over half of its own college-experienced adults between the ages of 30-38, a higher rate than that of any other region. Although the results of logistic regression estimates show that nonmetro southerners were less likely to attend college, those who left the region for college were more likely to return than other regional migrants, especially after age 30. In addition, the relatively low demand for college-trained labor in the …

Job Search, Employment Density, And The Rate Of Exit Of Unemployment In Nonmetropolitan Labor Markets, Bradford F. Mills

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Little is known about the influences that employment density and other local labor-market conditions have on transitions from unemployment to employment in nonmetropolitan areas. The empirical job search model developed in this paper finds that individual characteristics, unemployment rates, commuting patterns, and trade and service sector growth all significantly influence the rate of exit of unemployment following job loss. Measures of local labor-market density, by contrast, appear to have little direct impact on the rate of exit of unemployment. The results of the paper suggest that the differential targeting of remote areas with job search assistance for displaced workers is …

Introduction To The Special Issues (Volumes 15 & 16) On Southern Rural Labor Markets, Lionel J. Beaulieu, David Freshwater

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Introduction to the Special Issues on Southern Rural Labor Markets

Migration In The Nonmetropolitan South, Mark Nord, John Cromartie

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Data from multiple sources are analyzed to provide a picture of domestic migration patterns, characteristics of migrants, and effects of migration on poverty and human capital in the rural South during the 1990s. Migration trends in the 1990s were quite favorable for the rural South. Net migration was positive and substantial and represented a gain of people in their early career years including a disproportionate share of young families. The "brain drain" that characterized the 1980s has at least slowed, and possibly stopped. The comparative advantage of rural areas is increasingly found in their natural amenities and low population densities …

Retailing In Rural Nebraska: Buying Locally And Electronically, John C. Allen, Rebecca J. Vogt, Sam Cordes

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Retailing activity in small rural communities has declined over the past few decades. More and more retail sales are occurring in the state’s larger retailing centers. In addition, the use of the Internet to purchase goods and services also has the potential to change the retailing activity of these communities. Given that, are rural Nebraskans purchasing the majority of their household goods and services in their own community or are they spending more of their money in larger retail centers? Have rural Nebraskans begun to buy and sell goods and services using the Internet? Does their purchasing behavior differ depending …

Agriculture In Nebraska: Perceptions On Policy Alternatives, John C. Allen, Rebecca J. Vogt, Sam Cordes

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Agriculture in Nebraska has been changing dramatically during the past few decades. In the 1999 Nebraska Rural Poll, rural Nebraskans were asked what they would prefer to see for Nebraska’s agriculture in the next 20 years. The majority of the respondents indicated they would prefer to see a family farm ownership structure in contrast to a non-family corporate ownership structure. Yet, less than one-third expect to see that occur in the future. Given that, what types of agricultural policy options or development strategies do rural Nebraskans believe would be effective in reaching the objective of a strong traditional family farm …

Review Of World's Apart: Why Poverty Persists In Rural America. Cynthia Duncan. Reviewed By William Rainford, University Of California, Berkely., William Rainford

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Cynthia Duncan, World's Apart: Why Poverty Persists in Rural America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999. $27.50 hardcover.

Alternative Development Strategies For Rural Communities: Views From The Great Plains, John C. Allen, Rebecca Filkins, Sam Cordes

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

In the past, rural economic development policies have traditionally taken one of two forms: direct aid (various forms of financial incentives granted to individual firms) or the provision of infrastructure, such as buildings or roads. However, some argue that these policies have become less efficient and that new alternatives should be considered. These new alternatives include indirect aid to businesses (improved access to capital and business services) as well as active labor market policies (which seek to help match demand and supply in the labor markets). Which policies would be most successful in promoting economic development in rural areas? This …

Nebraska’S Rural Communities: Current Views And Strategies For The Future, John C. Allen, Rebecca Filkins, Sam Cordes

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Results from the 1999 Nebraska Rural Poll indicated that the future of Nebraska’s rural communities is of continuing concern and interest. When asked their preferences for the future, the majority of rural Nebraskans indicated they would prefer to see the smallest communities continue to exist, an evenly dispersed rural population, and the traditional variety of businesses in rural communities. Yet, less than one-half expected these trends to actually occur in the future. Given that, how do rural Nebraskans feel about their community and the services available? Which economic development strategies do they feel would be effective in their community? Do …

Quality Of Life Of Rural Nebraskans: 1996 - 2000, John C. Allen, Rebecca Filkins, Sam Cordes

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Nebraska’s economy has shown growth during recent years. However, the agricultural economy has not been faring as well in recent years. How have these changes affected rural Nebraskans? How do they perceive their quality of life? Do their perceptions differ by the size of their community, the region in which they live, or their occupation?

This report details results of 4,536 responses to the 2000 Nebraska Rural Poll, the fifth annual effort to take the pulse of rural Nebraskans. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their general well-being and their satisfaction with specific aspects of well-being. Trends are …

Life Along The Kokosing

Publications and Exhibits

This tour guide of sites along Knox County's Kokosing River explores our relationship to nature and rural community identity. The guide includes thirteen five-minute audio programs featuring excerpts of interviews with residents about the sites and a forty-page booklet with photographs and additional historical materials. Topics include village and town history, Amish community, agriculture, floods, recreation, immigration, the economy, geological history, wildlife, green space preservation, and urban sprawl.

Track listing:

1. Intro: At Riverside Park

2. Waterford

3. Kokosing Resevoir

4. Kokosing Sand and Gravel Pit

5. Cassell Farm

6. Mount Vernon Viaduct

7. Andrew Craig Historical Marker

8. Brown Family Environmental Center

9. Kenyon Mill

10. Indianfield Run

11. Trestle …

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Urbanization Of Rural Landscapes Ii: Second Syllabus And Teaching Materials From A University Course, Spring 2000, Charles A. Francis, David Mortensen

CARI Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Editors' Introduction and Executive Summary 2

Table of Contents 3

Other Volumes in Series and Ordering Information 4

Syllabus, Spring 2000 5

Principles of Planning for Lincoln and Lancaster County, Student Reports, 2000 9

Recommended Amendments to the 1994 Comprehensive Plan, Student Report, 1999 35

Course Evaluations, Spring 2000, by students and faculty evaluators 45

Resource Materials, some with Student Summaries (with permission of the publishers) 50

Stevens Creek study heralds new era for city, Lincoln Journal-Star 50

Developer, city closer on north Lincoln project, Lincoln Journal-Star 51

Study outlines new vision for Lincoln-Omaha corridor, Lincoln Journal-Star 53

Smart growth …

Countrysides Transformed, Pamela Riney-Kehrberg

Pamela Riney-Kehrberg

Rural and agricultural history provide their readers different perspectives on the ways in which the countryside has changed over the course of American history. Rural history approaches the question of change from the perspective of communities and families, while agricultural history generally eschews the social perspective for issues of crop production. Such is the case of two recent and important books in rural and agricultural history, Hal Barron's Mixed Harvest: The Second Great Transformationin the Rural North, 1870-1930 and Steven Stoll's The Fruits of Natural Advantage: The Making of the Industrial Countryside in California. While both authors are intimately concerned …

Social Disorganization Outside The Metropolis: An Analysis Of Rural Youth Violence, D. Wayne Osgood, Jeff M. Chambers

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

In order to extend the study of community social disorganization and crime beyond its exclusive focus on large urban centers, we present an analysis of structural correlates of arrest rates for juvenile violence in 264 nonmetropolitan counties of four states. Findings support the generality of social disorganization theory: Juvenile violence was associated with rates of residential instability, family disruption, and ethnic heterogeneity. Though rates of poverty were not related to juvenile violence, this is also in accord with social disorganization theory because, unlike urban settings, poverty was negatively related to residential instability. Rates of juvenile violence varied markedly with population …

"Expansion Of The Citizenship Role": Altruistic Behaviors Of Buffalo Creek Residents Following The Flood, Julia Ann Lewis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The residents of Buffalo Creek Hollow engaged in a variety of helping behaviors following a 1972 flood. In Everything In Its Path: Destruction of Community in the Buffalo Creek Flood Kai Erikson (1976) described these residents as being numbed and apathetic, doing nothing to help themselves or anyone else. They were stuck in the initial stages of Wallace’s “disaster syndrome” and could not help the people around them. Dynes (1974), Dynes and Quarantelli (1972), and Barton (1969), on the other hand, wrote that people in disasters tend to act in an altruistic manner, helping victims whenever they can. Dynes (1974) …

The Opportunities And Threats Of Coastal Development: An Mpr Roundtable Discussion, Paul Anderson

Maine Policy Review

In May 2000, nine discussants—each with a unique perspective on coastal development—convened to explore changes occurring on the Maine coast, whether those changes are consistent with what Maine people want, and what looming issues invite further debate and creative problem solving. Their discussion spanned a range of sensitive issues including aquaculture development, the displacement of traditional economies, the effects of development on coastal wildlife populations, and the reality of diminishing public access to the coast. All agreed that with vision and careful planning we have an opportunity to shape the future of the Maine coast, but the jury is out …

The Good Girl Bad Girl Dilemma: Exploring Rural Maine Girls' Sexual Desires, Behaviors, And Relationships, Mary Madden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, feminist researchers have re-framed girls’ developmental issues examining the complexities inherent in growing up female in a patriarchal society. In particular, these studies have provided information on the complications girls encounter in their efforts to negotiate ideals of white middle-class conventions of femininity. In the few studies that examine how these ideals of femininity effect girls’ sexuality, rural girls from poor and working-class families are rarely considered. The goal of this study was to deepen and expand the current understanding of adolescent girls’ sexuality by bringing the voices of rural girls from poor and working-class families …

Parents' Construction Of Emotional Abuse And Neglect Of Children Aged Birth To Six Years In A Rural District In Uganda, Edreda Tuwangye

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Child abuse and neglect are endemic not only in Western countries but also in developing countries such as Uganda. An investigation was conducted to establish how parents living in rural Uganda construe child abuse and neglect. The study is of theoretical interest on two counts. First, there is evidence to suggest that Western accounts of child abuse and neglect may not apply to developing countries, a matter of importance given the dominance of Western research in the thinking of policy and intervention studies. Second, most of the research assumes that abuse and neglect are self-evident constructs and there is seldom …

The Effects Of Computers And The Internet On Small Town America, Judith L. Clefisch

Graduate Research Papers

Computers and the Internet have changed the way small town America operates. The infusion of technology has allowed rural areas to be competitive with residents in urban areas in education, business, and personal fulfillment. Computerized systems have made the workplace more efficient and effective. The Internet connects rural areas to the rest of the country, even the world. Just because a small town atmosphere appears to be in a different era with its quiet streets and friendly people, this does not necessarily indicate that the small town has not kept up with the technology era. A small town can have …

Report On The Agriculture & Nature Based Tourism Study Tour : United States Of America, United Kingdom & Germany, 28th August 99 To 17th September 99, Theo Nabben, Adriana Svenson

Research Reports

The focus of the study tour to United States, United Kingdom and Germany was agricultural and nature based. Six recurring themes were identified on tour as keys to a vibrant economy in the south west of Western Australia. This report is divided into each of these themes and provides an insight into lessons learnt while overseas, and how these might be adapted to Australia. The themes identified were:

• Agri-tourism,
• Marketing
• Restructuring rural Communities - Building on natural resource management
• Land use planning
• Developing improved linkages with higher education
• Leadership