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Articles 361 - 390 of 468

Full-Text Articles in Rural Sociology

Job Search, Employment Density, And The Rate Of Exit Of Unemployment In Nonmetropolitan Labor Markets, Bradford F. Mills Dec 2000

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 …

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Introduction To The Special Issues (Volumes 15 & 16) On Southern Rural Labor Markets, Lionel J. Beaulieu, David Freshwater Dec 2000

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

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Employment Change In The Nonmetropolitan South: An Overview Of Recent Trends And Future Prospects, David L. Barkley Dec 1999

Employment Change In The Nonmetropolitan South: An Overview Of Recent Trends And Future Prospects, David L. Barkley

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Employment growth in the nonmetropolitan South exceeds the national average, yet job losses are the norm for many counties in the region. In addition, the earnings per job differential between workers in the rural South and the nation has widened. Recent changes in the economic environment promise new challenges for many southern nonmetropolitan communities. The new economy is characterized by continued growth in service-reIated activities, the rapid adoption of new technologies and production organizations. corporate restructuring and industry clustering, and enhanced competitiveness resulting from globalization of markets. The implications of these changes for labor demand in rural areas will vary …

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Spatial Labor Markets, New Economic Geography, And Urban-Rural Linkages: Implications For The Rural South, Mark S. Henry Dec 1999

Spatial Labor Markets, New Economic Geography, And Urban-Rural Linkages: Implications For The Rural South, Mark S. Henry

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

To reach the levels of prosperity in the urban South, rural leaders have a three-fold challenge: to improve human capital, to improve local amenities, and to identify the niche of rural communities in the new economic regions of the South, in other words, spatial labor markets will play a key role. The article first reviews key problems facing rural communities in the South that are likely to cause rural earnings-per-worker and employment opportunities to lag behind those in urban centers. Next, examples are given of the types of empirical and conceptual work needed to examine the role that space plays …

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What Does The Future Hold? What Globalization Might Mean For The Rural South, Amy K. Glasmeier, Robin M. Leichenko Dec 1999

What Does The Future Hold? What Globalization Might Mean For The Rural South, Amy K. Glasmeier, Robin M. Leichenko

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper considers the implications of economic globalization for rural communities in the U.S. South. Despite significant gains in average incomes and educational attainment in the South over the past 30 years, the paper finds that the rural South's longstanding reputation as the nation's low-wage, low-skilled region remains largely intact. In particular, manufacturing wages in the rural South have remained stagnant relative to the rest of the United States. Furthermore, as dominant sectors such as textiles and apparel continue to experience price competition and international pressure, there will likely be additional downward pressure on wages in low-skill southern industries, and …

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Service Industries And Employment Growth In The Nonmetro South: A Geographical Perspective, William B. Beyers, Peter B. Nelson Dec 1999

Service Industries And Employment Growth In The Nonmetro South: A Geographical Perspective, William B. Beyers, Peter B. Nelson

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Service employment has grown rapidly in the nonmetro South in recent years, accounting for 87 percent of overall job growth in the 1985-1995 time period. This pace has been sustained in nonmetro areas that are adjacent to metro areas, as well as in more remote nonmetro areas that are not adjacent to metro areas. Retail, health, and producer services account for the largest share of service employment growth. In contrast to the United States as a whole, which experienced declines in manufacturing employment, the nonmetro South has had increases in manufacturing employment. This growth of manufacturing has stimulated the local …

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The Geography Of New Manufacturing Technology: Implications For The Nonmetropolitan South, David A. Mcgranahan Dec 1999

The Geography Of New Manufacturing Technology: Implications For The Nonmetropolitan South, David A. Mcgranahan

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Despite the growth in services, manufacturing remains an essential part of the nonmetropolitan South's economy, responsible for 25 percent of total personal earnings. But low-education nonmetropolitan areas, which gained more than their share of manufacturing jobs in the 1970s and 1980s, lost jobs in the 1990s. Their manufacturing base is threatened not only by low-wage competition from abroad, but also by the spread of new technologies, which is raising the demand for production worker skills. Data from the Economic Research Service Rural Manufacturing Survey (RMS) show that labor quality is a central problem for adopters, particularly in low-education areas. The …

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Industry Clusters And Rural Labor Markets, G. Andrew Bernat Jr. Dec 1999

Industry Clusters And Rural Labor Markets, G. Andrew Bernat Jr.

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Along with the recent resurgence of interest in the agglomeration and clustering of economic activity, there has been increasing interest in industry clusters as a potential economic development strategy. Ultimately, the question of whether or not clusters are an appropriate focus of economic development strategies for rural areas depends on the relationship between clusters and local economic growth. The primary purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the issues involved in measuring the relationship between clusters and rural economic growth. Preliminary evidence of a positive association between industry clusters and rural earnings growth are presented, supporting the notion …

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Introduction To The Special Issues (Volumes 15 & 16) On Southern Rural Labor Markets, Lionel J. Beaulieu, David Freshwater Dec 1999

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

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Functional Skill Requirements Of Manufacturing Employment In The Rural South, Timothy R. Wojan Dec 1999

Functional Skill Requirements Of Manufacturing Employment In The Rural South, Timothy R. Wojan

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This analysis compares the functional skill requirements of manufacturing employment in rural and urban areas of six Southern states. The General Educational Development-Reasoning Scale provides information on the cognitive requirements of various work tasks while Specific Vocational Preparation provides information on the time of training needed for average performance in a job. The analysis identifies three distinct patterns of comparative skill requirements. Traditional Rural Production is characterized by substantial low-skill employment in both rural and urban areas-the modest number of high-skilled workers are found predominantly in urban areas. Spatial Division of Labor Production is characterized by a large share of …

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Agricultural Concentration: An Analysis By Commodity, Don E. Albrecht Dec 1998

Agricultural Concentration: An Analysis By Commodity, Don E. Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

One of the most striking consequences of the industrialization of agriculture in the United States is the extent to which production is becoming increasingly concentrated on a relatively few farms. In this study, a human ecological perspective and nationwide census data at the county level from 1982, 1987, and 1992 were used to explore concentration in the dairy, hog, and beef cattle industries. Wide differences were found in the extent of concentration from commodity to commodity and from county to county. It was found that in counties where the production of one commodity is highly concentrated, the production of other …

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Editor's Note, Glenn D. Israel Dec 1998

Editor's Note, Glenn D. Israel

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Geographic Information Systems: A Tool For Rural Community Research, Sarah Dewees, Timothy Collins Dec 1998

Geographic Information Systems: A Tool For Rural Community Research, Sarah Dewees, Timothy Collins

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Because of their traditional application in the environmental and geological sciences, geographic information systems are not usually considered to be useful tools for rural community research or analysis. The 1990 census made socio-economic data available at the block-group level, however, and this has facilitated the mapping of socio-economic variables in small areas. Insight, explanation, and understanding can come from seeing data in their spatial context. Citizen researchers in the Jackson County, KY, Empowerment Zone used block-group level data in maps of their county to study socio-economic patterns in their communities. This paper provides an example of a way to use …

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Violence Prevention In Georgia's Rural Public Schools: Perceptions Of School Superintendents, Chet Ballard Dec 1998

Violence Prevention In Georgia's Rural Public Schools: Perceptions Of School Superintendents, Chet Ballard

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

A survey of school superintendents in 81 public school systems in rural Georgia was conducted to describe strategies being pursued to prevent school violence and promote a safe and disciplined learning environment. Among the surveyed superintendents, there was widespread recognition of school safety as a high priority item and evidence of use of law enforcement and technology to deter violence in schools. Descriptive data analysis suggests that school size and county economic conditions relate to school superintendents’ assessment of school safety and potential for violence. This research addresses a void in the literature on violence in rural schools and provides …

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The Challenge Of Welfare Reform: Earnings And The Cost Of Living In Rural Kentucky, Julie N. Zimmerman, Lorraine Garkovich Dec 1998

The Challenge Of Welfare Reform: Earnings And The Cost Of Living In Rural Kentucky, Julie N. Zimmerman, Lorraine Garkovich

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The passage in 1996 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act may well mark the single most consequential social legislation of this decade, especially for rural southern families, for it marked a fundamental shift in the welfare system in the U.S. No longer focused on hardship relief, cash assistance now has a work-first focus, with mandatory work requirements and lifetime limits for recipients. Underlying this legislation have been four assumptions about the nature of the labor market and welfare recipients' characteristics and opportunities. This article examines the utility of these assumptions, especially in the context of the regional and …

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Perceived Barriers To Labor Force Participation Among Welfare Recipients In West Virginia, Melissa Latimer Dec 1998

Perceived Barriers To Labor Force Participation Among Welfare Recipients In West Virginia, Melissa Latimer

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This research utilizes data collected by the Children's Policy Institute (CPI) of West Virginia in 1993 to identify perceived barriers to labor force participation for families with children receiving AFDC and/or Food Stamps. By merging data on West Virginia from several county-level data sources with the CPI data, this multi-level research identifies the major barriers West Virginia welfare recipients perceive as limiting their labor force participation (i.e., as explaining their current unemployment status). This research also examines how the barriers identified vary among welfare recipients.

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Solid Waste Management And The Need For Effective Public Participation, Catherine A. Solheim, Charles E. Faupel, Conner Bailey Dec 1997

Solid Waste Management And The Need For Effective Public Participation, Catherine A. Solheim, Charles E. Faupel, Conner Bailey

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Recent changes in technical requirements for landfill design, mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have led to closing the majority of solid waste landfills in the United States. Efforts to site new landfills have elicited widespread opposition. Based on eight case studies in Alabama, we identify three themes behind this opposition: threats to quality of life, potentially harmful economic impacts, and frustration over representational issues in the process involved in selecting the proposed solid waste facility. These concerns mirror much of the literature on public opposition to landfills and other facilities which pose similar threats to the environment and …

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The Effects Of Residence Location On Parental Involvement With The School: A Contrast Between Nonmetropolitan Rural And Other Communities, Yongmin Sun, Daryl Hobbs, William Elder, Dongchu Sun Dec 1997

The Effects Of Residence Location On Parental Involvement With The School: A Contrast Between Nonmetropolitan Rural And Other Communities, Yongmin Sun, Daryl Hobbs, William Elder, Dongchu Sun

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Educational research has long noted the impact of parental involvement with the school on a student's educational success. Despite decades of research, only a few studies have attempted to identify factors that account for variations in parental involvement. In this study, we have employed Coleman's notion of social capital to study the effects of family structure and residence location on parental participation in school related activities. Based on a large stratified sample of Missouri parents, our analyses have demonstrated that parents from dual-parent families and parents who have lived in a school district for a long period of time tend …

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Social And Demographic Influences On Environmental Attitudes, Marybe Mcmillan, Thomas J. Hoban, William B. Clifford, Margaret R. Brant Dec 1997

Social And Demographic Influences On Environmental Attitudes, Marybe Mcmillan, Thomas J. Hoban, William B. Clifford, Margaret R. Brant

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Sociologists have studied environmental attitudes for over two decades. Much of this research has sought to determine what factors are related to these attitudes. Past research has shown that certain social and demographic variables tend to have a positive influence on environmentalism. One of the more valid and reliable indicators of environmentalism is the 12-item attitude scale known as the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP). That scale has been shown to consist of three sub-scales. This paper extends previous research by examining the relative influence of six independent variables (age, gender, race, education, income, and residence) on each of the sub-scales …

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To Cross The Rubicon?: The College Of Agriculture Rural Development Dilemma, Louis E. Swanson, Shripad D. Deo Dec 1997

To Cross The Rubicon?: The College Of Agriculture Rural Development Dilemma, Louis E. Swanson, Shripad D. Deo

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Facing The Future: Rural Sociology In A Time Of Change, Libby V. Morris Dec 1997

Facing The Future: Rural Sociology In A Time Of Change, Libby V. Morris

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This article is a revised version of the presidential address delivered at the annual meeting of the Southern Rural Sociology Association, 1997.

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Changing Employment Patterns In Nonmetropolitan America: Implications For Family Structure, Don E. Albrecht, Stan L. Albrecht Dec 1996

Changing Employment Patterns In Nonmetropolitan America: Implications For Family Structure, Don E. Albrecht, Stan L. Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

During the past few decades, the industria/employment structure of rural America has changed dramatically. The major causes of these changes have been technological developments which have reduced the human labor needs in the natural resources industries of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and mining. While employment in the natural resources industries has declined, the loss of these jobs has been offset by increased employment in the manufacturing and service industries. This paper explores the relationship between variations in the industrial structure of nonmetropolitan counties in the United States and several family structure variables. It was found that counties with larger proportions of …

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Patterns Of In-Migration And Out-Migration: Human Capital Movements In The Lower Mississippi Delta Region, Donald E. Voth, Molly Sizer, Frank L. Farmer Dec 1996

Patterns Of In-Migration And Out-Migration: Human Capital Movements In The Lower Mississippi Delta Region, Donald E. Voth, Molly Sizer, Frank L. Farmer

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

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Farm Families Moving To Town: An Analysis Of Farm Population Declines, Don E. Albrecht Dec 1996

Farm Families Moving To Town: An Analysis Of Farm Population Declines, Don E. Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Recent census data indicate that a sizable proportion of individuals and families operating farms in the United States are choosing to live in urban and rural communities rather than on the farmstead. This phenomena is occurring in all regions of the country. In this paper, hypotheses are developed and tested to help explain and understand this phenomena and the variations that exist from county to county. County level data from the 1978 and 1987 Census of Agriculture and the 1980 and 1990 Census of Population are analyzed. Results show that counties with larger proportions of farm families living in the …

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A Social Exchange Explanation Of Participation In The U.S. Farm Program, John K. Thomas, Jack Thigpen Dec 1996

A Social Exchange Explanation Of Participation In The U.S. Farm Program, John K. Thomas, Jack Thigpen

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Passage of the 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act resulted from the political influence of many environmental interest groups and, consequently, included many conservation provisions. As agricultural policy has increasingly reflected the environmental concerns of the public, farmers who participate in the Farm Program have adjusted their production practices to conserve land and water resources, minimize use of agrichemicals, and control animal wastes. Social exchange theory was used to examine personal and farm characteristics that could affect agroenvironmental attitudes, Farm Program participation, and conservation practices of Texas farmers (n = 1,063 farmers) in 199 1. One in four farmers …

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Conflict In The Community: A Challenge For Land Grant Universities, Thomas W. Ilvento Dec 1996

Conflict In The Community: A Challenge For Land Grant Universities, Thomas W. Ilvento

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper revisits the notion of conflict in the community and then discusses a relatively new strategy for dealing with community conflict that is gaining popularity: alternative dispute resolution (ADR), particularly mediation. While ADRs are not entirely new, there has been a renewed interest in them as viable strategies for community development and public policy education. Conflict in communities is ubiquitous and should demand greater attention by rural sociologists, particularly those involved in community development. Environmental mediation is a strategy through which rural sociologists can effectively assist a community in resolving conflict Furthermore, as rural sociologists study and practice environmental …

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A Comparison Of The Views Of Farmers And The Nonfarm Public Regarding Resource Use: The Case Of Texas Groundwater, Don E. Albrecht Dec 1995

A Comparison Of The Views Of Farmers And The Nonfarm Public Regarding Resource Use: The Case Of Texas Groundwater, Don E. Albrecht

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper provides a comparison of the views of farmers and the nonfarm public about the use of a water resource that is critical to both. Specifically, this paper presents the results of surveys of a farm and a nonfarm sample about the uses of water from the Edwards Aquifer in South Central Texas. The paper briefly discusses the Edwards Aquifer and outlining the issues surrounding this critical resource. Hypotheses are then developed, data are analyzed, and conclusions drawn.

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Tourism As A Sustainable Rural Development Strategy: Building Consensus In Resident Attitudes, Paul B. Siegel, Paul M. Jakus Dec 1995

Tourism As A Sustainable Rural Development Strategy: Building Consensus In Resident Attitudes, Paul B. Siegel, Paul M. Jakus

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

A survey of community leaders, broadly categorized as business people, public officials, and conservationists, was conducted to assess attitudes toward tourism in a six-county region of the Southern Appalachian Highlands of Tennessee and North Carolina. Broad support for tourism development was found across all groups, with the caveat that economic growth not take place at the expense of community character or environmental quality. In general, however, members of conservation organizations were more concerned about the negative impacts of tourism development than were business people or public officials. The methodology employed highlights issues of agreement and conflict among influential community groups. …

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Regional Differences In Financial Resources, Assets, And Savings Behavior Of Low-Income Families, Joan Koonce Lewis Dec 1995

Regional Differences In Financial Resources, Assets, And Savings Behavior Of Low-Income Families, Joan Koonce Lewis

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This study examined differences in financial resources, assets, savings attitudes, methods of saving, and demographic characteristics of low-income families from different regions in the United States. Further, the effects of these variables on nominal and real savings for families in each region were analyzed. Chi-square results indicated that families from the South were less likely to have private or employer-sponsored health insurance and VA medical benefits. Families from the South were also less likely to own assets and save; however, more southern families than nonsouthem families said they would increase savings if interest rates increased. Regression results indicated that nonsouthern …

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Dimensions Of Farm Commodity Production: Horses, Strawberries, And Why, Ronald C. Wimberley, Robert M. Moxley Dec 1995

Dimensions Of Farm Commodity Production: Horses, Strawberries, And Why, Ronald C. Wimberley, Robert M. Moxley

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

To better understand the social context of food and fiber production, more and more researchers are beginning to study the production of agricultural commodities as independent, dependent, and intervening variables. Typically, these commodity variables are measured in terms of separate crop or livestock products or by ad hoc indexes that summarize several commodities. To assess and better understand the spectrum of farm commodities examined in such research, this study uses North Carolina data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture to factor analyze various indicators of crop and livestock production and to determine any underlying, empirical dimensions. Explanations of the empirical …

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