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Articles 331 - 360 of 468

Full-Text Articles in Rural Sociology

Globalization, Broiler Production, And Community Controversy In East Texas, Douglas H. Constance Dec 2002

Globalization, Broiler Production, And Community Controversy In East Texas, Douglas H. Constance

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The poultry industry was the first livestock commodity sector to adopt an industrial organizational model. In recent years the pouItry industry has expanded beyond national boundaries into a globalized system of production. The globalization of agriculture and food is a frequent topic of discussion for researchers interested in rural society. A common focus of these discussions is the consequences of corporate penetration on rural areas and the ways local communities respond to such corporate actions. This paper uses the case of the introduction of large-scale broiler production in East Texas combined with a sociology of agriculture and food conceptual framework …

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Bribing Biodiversity: Corruption, Participation, And Community-Based Management In Venezuela, Brooke Ann Zanetell, Barbara A. Knuth Dec 2002

Bribing Biodiversity: Corruption, Participation, And Community-Based Management In Venezuela, Brooke Ann Zanetell, Barbara A. Knuth

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Widespread alarm over the continuing decline of marine and freshwater fisheries has prompted research on the theory and practice of community-based management (CBM). Considering the suite of possible CBM benefits--including local involvement, compliance with regulations, reduced enforcement costs, and sustainable resource use--it is understandable that CBM projects are on the rise. However, there is insufficient examination of the challenges to CBM and the context-specific feasibility of grassroots stewardship. In response, we applied an assessment framework to a Venezuelan fishery to evaluate the feasibility of CBM and to identify barriers to its fruition. We used a variety of methods in concert …

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Passing The Cluck, Dodging Pullets: Corporate Power, Environmental Responsibility, And The Contract Poultry Grower, Joseph J. Molnar, Thomas Hoban, Gail Brant Dec 2002

Passing The Cluck, Dodging Pullets: Corporate Power, Environmental Responsibility, And The Contract Poultry Grower, Joseph J. Molnar, Thomas Hoban, Gail Brant

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Broiler production is concentrated in a few southem states where farmers are highly dependent on contract arrangements for income and livelihood. Poultry is the first animal industry to industrialize and its model of contract farming has been emulated by other animal industries. Environmental standards are becoming increasingly stringent and many farmers are faced with crossroad decisions about investments in dead bird and manure disposal facilities. Asymmetrical power relationships shift waste management responsibilities to growers in a number of ways. This paper details maneuvers poultry integrators use to avoid environmental risk and transfer it to their contract growers. Corporations "pass the …

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The Martin County Project: A Student, Faculty, And Citizen Effort At Researching The Effects Of A Technological Disaster, Stephanie Mcspirit, Sharon Hardesty, Robert Welch Dec 2002

The Martin County Project: A Student, Faculty, And Citizen Effort At Researching The Effects Of A Technological Disaster, Stephanie Mcspirit, Sharon Hardesty, Robert Welch

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This research note describes two simultaneous events: the Martin County coal waste disaster of October 2000 and our own research efforts in Martin County, Kentucky, in studying the effects of the disaster on the impacted community. Our research was unique in that we involved a large team of undergraduate students in our field and data collections efforts. We also applied more democratic and participatory methods than has been typical in the "techno-disasters" research. We believe that our expanded method has allowed us to glean insights and understanding into the effects and political dynamics of the Martin County coal waste disaster. …

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Lagoons, Litter, And The Law: Cafo Regulation As Social Risk Politics, Larry L. Burmeister Dec 2002

Lagoons, Litter, And The Law: Cafo Regulation As Social Risk Politics, Larry L. Burmeister

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The restructuring of the animal agriculture industry in the United States, a response to globalization dynamics within the world economy, has created a new social risk profile which did not exist in this industry prior to the adoption of factory farm technology. Analysis of the CAFO [concentrated animal feeding operation] regulation debate in Kentucky illustrates the political economy genesis of social risk politics accompanying this new technology. The politics of regulatory efforts to ameliorate such risk, an increasingly frequent occurrence in the risk society era, are examined in a recent attempt to promulgate a CAFO regulatory regime in Kentucky. This …

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The Loss And Persistence Of Black-Owned Farms And Farmland: A Review Of The Research Literature And Its Implications, Jess Gilbert, Gwen Sharp, M. Sindy Felin Dec 2002

The Loss And Persistence Of Black-Owned Farms And Farmland: A Review Of The Research Literature And Its Implications, Jess Gilbert, Gwen Sharp, M. Sindy Felin

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper reviews 115 articles and books published since 1971 that comprise almost all of the scholarly research on black farmers and land loss. It provides a general overview as well as discussion of the benefits of landownership for the black community. Several causes of black land and farm loss are reviewed: forced sales due to "heir property," lack of access to government programs, and continuing racial discrimination by lenders and government agencies. A number of the works cited provide possible ways to slow the loss of black-owned land, including strategies to increase the profitability of individual farms and increased …

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Social Capital, Structural Conditions, And Mortality: A Study Of Nonmetropolitan Counties In Mississippi, Domenico Parisi, Steven Michael Grice, Michael Taquino, Duane A. Gill Dec 2002

Social Capital, Structural Conditions, And Mortality: A Study Of Nonmetropolitan Counties In Mississippi, Domenico Parisi, Steven Michael Grice, Michael Taquino, Duane A. Gill

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In this study, we examine the extent to which structural conditions that favor investment in social capital affect mortality across nonmetro counties in Mississippi. To this end, we focus on four county structural conditions: (1) place of residence within county boundaries, (2) civic infrastructure, (3) economic conditions, and (4) county regional location. The results clearly indicate that structural conditions that favor investment in social capital lead to lower mortality. Specifically, concentration of disadvantage conditions has an independent effect on mortality. That is, its effect operates independentIy of other structural conditions. In contrast, the effects of place of residence and civic …

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Welfare, Work, And Well-Being In Metro And Nonmetro Louisiana, Joachim Singelmann, Theresa Davidson, Rachel Reynolds Jun 2002

Welfare, Work, And Well-Being In Metro And Nonmetro Louisiana, Joachim Singelmann, Theresa Davidson, Rachel Reynolds

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper examines the extent to which persons in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) have been able to leave the TANF program. The analysis is based on the Louisiana Welfare Survey which is a panel study of 1,000 persons (500 in New Orleans and 500 in two labor market areas in northeastern Louisiana) who in 1998 and 1999 had been on welfare. The original respondents have been reinterviewed annually, with the fifth and final wave currently (May 2002) in the field. The findings reported in this paper are based on the first three waves of the panel survey, …

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The Impact Of Welfare Reform On Rural Alabamians, David L. Klemmock, Lucinda Lee Roff, Debra Moehle Mccallum, John T. Stern Jun 2002

The Impact Of Welfare Reform On Rural Alabamians, David L. Klemmock, Lucinda Lee Roff, Debra Moehle Mccallum, John T. Stern

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This exploratory study compared Alabama welfare leavers from two types of rural counties with those from two types of metropolitan counties. It was based on telephone interviews conducted during the summer of 1999 with a random sample of 4 16 people who had left TANF between July and November 1998. There were no statistically significant differences among leavers by county type in the likelihood they were employed and, if employed, in the rate of pay, number of hours worked weekly, or the types of benefits available at the job. Although many respondents no longer received benefits they had received while …

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The Regionalization Of Poverty: Assistance For The Black Belt South?, Ronald C. Wimberley, Libby V. Morris Jun 2002

The Regionalization Of Poverty: Assistance For The Black Belt South?, Ronald C. Wimberley, Libby V. Morris

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Rural poverty is largely regional. The nation's primary region of rural poverty is the Black Belt South that stretches through 11 states from Virginia to Texas. In this area, like in other rural expanses of the United States, urban places typically fall within state lines while rural areas run across state lines and create multistate regions of rural poverty. The federal government provides block grants to address many of the public assistance needs of state populations. State-level block grants may be appropriate for serving urban areas within states, but they do not address regional-level poverty and welfare requirements across multistate …

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Contextualizing Cash Assistance And The South, Julie N. Zimmerman Jun 2002

Contextualizing Cash Assistance And The South, Julie N. Zimmerman

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act creating the most recent welfare reform and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Unlike Aid to Families with Dependent Children, which was an income-based entitlement program, with TANF came time limits, sanctions for noncompliance, and requirements that recipients participate in "work or work-related activities." TANF is also a block grant program. As a result, not only did program requirements change, but they can now vary from state to state. This article provides a regional context for this special issue of Southern Rural Sociology by …

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Food Security Of Low-Income Single Parents In East Alabama: Use Of Private And Public Programs In The Age Of Welfare Reform, Patricia A. Duffy, Ginger Grayson Hallmark, Joseph J. Molnar, Latoya Claxton, Conner Bailey, Steve Mikloucich Jun 2002

Food Security Of Low-Income Single Parents In East Alabama: Use Of Private And Public Programs In The Age Of Welfare Reform, Patricia A. Duffy, Ginger Grayson Hallmark, Joseph J. Molnar, Latoya Claxton, Conner Bailey, Steve Mikloucich

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Despite a strong economy, the use of private, nonprofit food assistance is increasing. To determine how single parenthood affects the use of both public and private food assistance, a sample of food bank clients and low-income, food-needy non-clients in East Alabama was interviewed. Overall, single-parent food-pantry clients indicated higher levels of food insecurity than other groups, but the non-clients who were not single parents also indicated high levels of need. Although 42 percent of food bank clients were single parents, results showed that married couples with children were more highly represented among the food bank clients than among food-needy individuals …

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Racial Disparities And Welfare Reform In Mississippi, Curtina Moreland-Young, Kristie Roberts, Jody Fields, Royal Walker Jr. Jun 2002

Racial Disparities And Welfare Reform In Mississippi, Curtina Moreland-Young, Kristie Roberts, Jody Fields, Royal Walker Jr.

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This research is a part of a much larger study which has been conducted on the implementation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Welfare Reform in the state of Mississippi. The study on the implementation of TANF employs qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis. One of the quantitative components of that study is a statewide survey of former and current TANF and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients which includes 1688 respondents. This number represents roughly 10 percent of the 15,000 families on welfare in the state of Mississippi (the most available data). …

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The Promise And Peril Of Charitable Choice: Religion, Poverty Relief, And Welfare Reform In The South, John P. Bartkowski, Helen A. Regis Jun 2002

The Promise And Peril Of Charitable Choice: Religion, Poverty Relief, And Welfare Reform In The South, John P. Bartkowski, Helen A. Regis

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This study analyzes narratives of welfare reform and faith-based poverty relief articulated by religious leaders in rural Mississippi congregations. These congregations are situated in and around Mississippi's Golden Triangle Region, a locale that includes a diverse group of small and mid-sized towns, as well as remote rural areas. As a state with entrenched social disadvantage, a thriving religious economy, and the nation's first faith-based welfare reform program, Mississippi is an ideal locale to study this important issue. We begin by discussing the charitable choice provision in welfare reform legislation. This legal provision bars discrimination against religious organizations as social service …

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Southern Rural Family Economic Well-Being In The Context Of Public Assistance, Bonnie Braun, Frances C. Lawrence, Patricia H. Dyk, Maria Vandergriff-Avery Jun 2002

Southern Rural Family Economic Well-Being In The Context Of Public Assistance, Bonnie Braun, Frances C. Lawrence, Patricia H. Dyk, Maria Vandergriff-Avery

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

As Congress considers reauthorization of public assistance legislation in 2002, researchers are challenged to provide data about the economic well-being of rural, low-income families. This paper provides findings from three southern states (Kentucky, Louisiana, and Maryland) currently participating in a 15-state, longitudinal study monitoring the economic well-being of rural families in the context of welfare reform of cash and food assistance. Initial findings reveal that even families using assistance to supplement their earned income fall short of self-sufficiency. These families are at-risk of living in economic crisis, or critical hardship, with inadequate earned and unearned income to meet their basic …

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Tanf/Welfare Client Decline And Community Context In The Rural South, 1997-2000, Domenico Parisi, Diane K. Mclaughlin, Michael Taquino, Steven Michael Grice, Neil R. White Jun 2002

Tanf/Welfare Client Decline And Community Context In The Rural South, 1997-2000, Domenico Parisi, Diane K. Mclaughlin, Michael Taquino, Steven Michael Grice, Neil R. White

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This article examines the extent to which declines in welfare rolls relate to five major dimensions of community: (1) local demographic composition, (2) local labor market conditions, (3) local civic capacity, (4) local spatial characteristics, and (5) changes in local economic opportunities. Results based on data from the Mississippi Department of Human Services indicate that demographically, economically, and socially advantaged communities were more likely to experience high declines in welfare rolls. Rurality was associated with lower likelihood of high declines in welfare rolls across Mississippi counties. Clearly, a combination of a stronger local economy and social support in a local …

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Time Limit And Sanction Effects Of The Texas Tanf Waiver, Tami Swenson, Steve White, Steve Murdoch Jun 2002

Time Limit And Sanction Effects Of The Texas Tanf Waiver, Tami Swenson, Steve White, Steve Murdoch

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Key provisions of the Texas TANF waiver, Achieving Change for Texans (ACT), allowed the state to implement variable time limits, sanctions, and geographically-targeted work assistance programs. An innovative aspect of ACT was the provision that the state's variable time limits did not begin until a case was notified of an available slot in the job assistance program. Thus, state time limits were directly linked with the provision of job services while sanction penalties were applicable to the entire caseload. In this paper, we examine the time limit and sanction effects on the duration of cash assistance for all families that …

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Raising A Flag Of Caution In The Race For Community-Based Approaches To Rural Welfare Reform: Early Findings From Texas, Miguel Ferguson, Dennis Poole, Diana Dinitto, A. James Schwab Jun 2002

Raising A Flag Of Caution In The Race For Community-Based Approaches To Rural Welfare Reform: Early Findings From Texas, Miguel Ferguson, Dennis Poole, Diana Dinitto, A. James Schwab

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

President George W. Bush's executive order establishing the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives heightens expectations that local organizations will provide superior services to support the objectives of welfare reform and address poverty. However, this expectation raises concerns about the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) to effectively implement reform projects in nonmetropolitan areas with limited access to important support services. This paper addresses these questions using early findings from an evaluation of four locally-organized welfare reform projects in rural Texas. We find that the reform projects experienced shortcomings in management, funding, and community involvement that appear to limit …

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Anger, Boycott, Secession–A Clash Of Perspectives: The Closing Of A High School In An Appalachian County, John Verburg Dec 2001

Anger, Boycott, Secession–A Clash Of Perspectives: The Closing Of A High School In An Appalachian County, John Verburg

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This research investigates the closing of a small, rural community school. Even though the community waged a tenacious effort to save their school, it closed anyway. Today, in its place, sits a new, private, community school. This research focuses on the dynamics of that drama. The research design consists of multiple levels of interviews (personal, telephone, and focus group), archival reviews of local newspapers, and analysis of video tapes of the monthly meetings o fthe local school board. Additionally, the community shared with the researcher large boxes of confidential legal documents used in the court proceedings against the county. The …

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Labor Use By Small-Scale Conventional And Sustainable Farmers In Tennessee, Fisseha Tegegne, Surendra P. Singh, Enefiok Ekanem, Safdar Muhammad Dec 2001

Labor Use By Small-Scale Conventional And Sustainable Farmers In Tennessee, Fisseha Tegegne, Surendra P. Singh, Enefiok Ekanem, Safdar Muhammad

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

A comparison of labor use by small-scale conventional and sustainable farmers has received little attention from researchers. However, the issue is significant given the growing emphasis being placed on a sustainable farming system, which is considered to require more labor and managerial input compared to the conventional one. This study analyzes labor use of small-scale farmers in Tennessee by classifying them into conventional and sustainable categories. The data were collected using face-to-face interviews of randomly selected farmers. Analysis shows that farm operators were the primary source of labor for production and farm business management both for sustainable and conventional farmers, …

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Natural Resource Access And Interracial Associations: Black And White Subsistence Fishing In The Mississippi Delta, Ralph B. Brown, John F. Toth Jr. Dec 2001

Natural Resource Access And Interracial Associations: Black And White Subsistence Fishing In The Mississippi Delta, Ralph B. Brown, John F. Toth Jr.

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Using qualitative data gathered over approximately twenty months, we examine how racial divisions between black and white fishers factor into access, harvesting strategies, and use of natural resources in subsistence fishing activities in the Mississippi Delta. Though both races engage in subsistence fishing for many of the same reasons -- a sense of autonomy and economic independence -- clear differences were manifest in their access, harvesting strategies, and utilization of the fish. We document these differences. We conclude that the social relations between white and black subsistence fishers, as they interact with and through the landscape, appear to perpetuate the …

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Hidden Voices: Linking Research, Practice, And Policy To The Everyday Realities Of Rural People, Rosalind P. Harris Dec 2001

Hidden Voices: Linking Research, Practice, And Policy To The Everyday Realities Of Rural People, Rosalind P. Harris

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Presidential Address

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Foucault On The Farm: Producing Swine And Subjects, Mary E. Curran Dec 2001

Foucault On The Farm: Producing Swine And Subjects, Mary E. Curran

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In this paper, through a discussion of an ongoing conflict about regulation of industrial farming in Kentucky, I use Foucault's (1980a, 1980b, 1991) work on governmentality and power and knowledge to analyze how the power relations embedded within processes of governmentality and knowledge production act to marginalize certain groups while producing new regimes of truth and altering subjectivities. My approach differs from that of current academic research and American mass media reporting of the environmental and social impacts of industrial animal agriculture. Academic literature has largely focused upon either the structural changes resulting from the industrialization of agriculture or on …

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Outdoor Recreation Constraints: An Examination Of Race, Gender, And Rural Dwelling, Cassandra Y. Johnson, J. M. Bowker, H. Ken Cordell Dec 2001

Outdoor Recreation Constraints: An Examination Of Race, Gender, And Rural Dwelling, Cassandra Y. Johnson, J. M. Bowker, H. Ken Cordell

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

We assess whether traditionally marginalized groups in American society (African-Americans, women, rural dwellers) perceive more constraints to outdoor recreation participation than other groups. A series of logistic regressions are applied to a national recreation survey and used to model the probability that individuals perceive certain constraints to participating in outdoor recreation activities. Twelve constraints related to health, facilities, socioeconomic standing, and other personal factors are examined for both participants and nonparticipants of outdoor recreation. We model the probability that individuals report being constrained in participating in their favorite activities as a function of race, gender, and rural residence. In addition, …

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Common Cause: A Comparative Case Study Of Three Alabama Communities Organizing Against Landfills, Lani Merritt Dec 2001

Common Cause: A Comparative Case Study Of Three Alabama Communities Organizing Against Landfills, Lani Merritt

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper documents the organizational strategies of three Alabama community groups that have mobilized against the siting of municipal landfills. All three communities are predominately African-American, rural, and lower-income. The framework of environmental justice is applied to understand common elements of the three communities' experiences. The primary focus, however, is on differences between the cases that brought forward markedly different strategies. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the different approaches taken by each community, and to identify factors and strategies that were crucial to success or failure from the perspective of landfill opponents. Responsiveness of local political …

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Earning Patterns Of Mexican Workers In The Southern Region: A Focus On Nonmetro/Metro Distinctions, Rogelio Saenz Dec 2000

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 …

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College Graduates In The Nonmetropolitan South: Origins And Prospects, Robert M. Gibbs Dec 2000

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 …

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Labor Supply And Underemployment In The Southern United States, Leif Jensen, Jill L. Findeis, Qiuyan Wang Dec 2000

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 …

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The Labor Force Experiences Of Non-College Bound Youth In The South: A Ten-Year Perspective, Lionel J. Beaulieu, Melissa Barfield Dec 2000

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 …

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Migration In The Nonmetropolitan South, Mark Nord, John Cromartie Dec 2000

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 …

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