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In 2020, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the Libraries Build Business (LBB) grant initiative. Thirteen public library systems were selected to receive a total of $1.3 million to bolster their library’s entrepreneurial outreach. ALA and Google.org supported efforts to build capacity in libraries and library districts. Libraries in turn offered innovative programming, access to e-resources and developed services for local entrepreneurs and the business community. Libraries Build Business (LBB) objective was to identify library-led entrepreneurship models that would help lower-income and/or under-represented entrepreneurs, i.e. women and minorities to start and grow new businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coordination between rural economic development and ecological civilization construction is an important trend in China’s agricultural development. Taking Enshi Prefecture as the research object, the relationship between rural economic development and the construction of ecological civilization is studied through data collection, data normalization, data empowerment, and the establishment of the coupling coordination degree model. The results show that the coupling degree between rural economic development and ecological civilization construction in Enshi Prefecture has been increasing, which fully confirms the correctness of the“Two Mountains” theory, and also proves the effectiveness of the construction of Enshi Prefecture’s “Two Mountains” Practice Demonstration Area. However, there is still room for further optimization of the overall coordinated development. On this basis, the final proposal is to strengthen the publicity and training efforts to enhance environmental protection awareness; to promote the rapid development of industry, extend the environmental protection industry chain; to strengthen the scientific and technological support, improve product quality and efficiency; to play a leading role of the government, strengthen the supervision of the sector, etc. to promote the coupled and coordinated development of ecological civilization construction and rural economy in Enshi Prefecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family farms are central to the American agricultural economy and vital inputs to the prosperity and sustainably of rural communities. Yet, the resiliency of these farms is threatened by uncertainties associated with intergenerational leadership succession. The current study used a set of theoretical constructs from Rogers's (2003) Innovation Diffusion Model (centralization, formalization, interconnectedness, organizational slack, size) to guide a qualitative exploration of the implications of intergenerational leadership dynamics on the organizational innovativeness of six family farms in California's San Joaquin Valley. Three themes emerged across all six farms that bring nuance and complexity to the understanding of organizational innovativeness and intergenerational leadership dynamics within family farms. The themes together reveal the importance of routine ingenuity, the honoring of legacy, and conservative innovation on the longer-term resiliency of intergenerational family farms and the community systems in which they are positioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there have been studies on the relationship between higher education institutions and regional economic growth, few have delved into the economic impact of decentralized higher education institutions at the county level and associated reginal disparities in terms of socio-economic development. Utilizing the data of the Chinese universities that started to establish their campuses in counties since the year 1999, this study investigates the influence of rural university campuses on county-level GDP and industrial composition spanning from 2001 to 2020. It also delves into the temporal dynamics and regional discrepancies associated with this impact. The findings of this study show that (a) rural university campuses wield a notable positive influence on the GDP of their respective counties, particularly shaping the structure and ratio of secondary and tertiary industries; (b) the magnitude of this effect is contingent upon the duration of campus establishment and growth, intensifying over time; (c) variations in this impact are evident across the eastern, central, and western regions of China, where there are vast socio-economic differences. This study underscores the significant spillover effect of higher education decentralization on county-level economies and advocates for the pivotal role of rural university campuses in propelling county-level economic progress. Additionally, it proposes coordinated policy support from national, regional, and rural university campus authorities; the establishment of requisite support structures; and the comprehensive consideration of regional nuances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the deteriorating urban-rural gap background, digital financial inclusion has offered the chance for rural areas to emerge from the economic downturn. Based on the data from 1907 counties in China, this study uncovers the spatially diversified impact of digital financial inclusion on rural economic development through the multiscale geographically weighted regression model. The key conclusions of this study are as follows: first, digital financial inclusion has spatially heterogeneous impacts on rural economic development. This relationship with economic development is also reflected in multiple aspects of digital financial inclusion, such as usage, payment, investment, and credit. Second, digital financial inclusion favors economic development in more south coastal and northwestern regions than others. Third, credit services have a greater and more extensive effect in rural regions than other sub-indicators, which warrants a superior focus. Last, digital financial inclusion's effects diffuse from the capital city, underscoring the feasibility of leveraging the leadership of these regions to expand the impact breadth of digital financial inclusion. In summary, this study complements the spatial heterogeneity of digital financial inclusion into the research framework and offers an in-depth understanding of digital financial inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies the extent of the brain drain problem in Mississippi and quantifies its economic impacts on the state. The study begins by defining brain drain and comparing brain drain in Mississippi to other states in the region using two definitions of the term. We find that all states in the study experience gross brain drain, but not all states experience net brain drain. Returning the focus to Mississippi, the study includes an experimental analysis of the potential effects to the Mississippi economy if the state's migration patterns of college-educated individuals were similar to those of other states in the region. This experiment allows us to determine the impact of brain drain on Mississippi's economy in terms of real gross domestic product (GDP), personal income, employment, and population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grounded in a qualitative case study design and relying on key informant interviews and focus group discussion, this study assesses the influence of the cassava dough enterprise on women's economic empowerment in a rural Ghanaian community. Women in the study community are marginalised in accessing arable land, which is a critical livelihood asset. Cassava dough processing, which is a women-dominated activity, has become an alternative and lucrative business for women. Women's engagement in cassava dough processing is driven by myriad factors that are rooted in their sociocultural settings and gender norms. Women engaged in cassava dough processing and sales have enhanced their economic empowerment through increased access to regular income, improved financial autonomy and saving behaviour, and contributed to community development. The study recommends the need to prioritise policies, programs, and interventions that create an enabling environment for community-based women's economic empowerment strategies in poor and vulnerable communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced manufacturing-a range of innovative, integrated, and controlled technological processes aimed at enhancing efficiency and optimizing outcomes-offers opportunities for rural economic development. However, the presence of advanced manufacturing and its related opportunities are not well understood in rural Canada, particularly at the local level. As part of a project exploring advanced manufacturing in the rural Kootenay region of British Columbia, researchers identified the need for a nuanced and rurally inclusive definition of advanced manufacturing and an accompanying assessment to assist in better understanding needs and opportunities. This article summarizes the case study and proposes the 'advanced manufacturing spectrum', a model illustrating and defining advanced manufacturing, with an accompanying assessment tool that aims to assist users to identify themselves within the advanced manufacturing sector and to better understand the current state of advanced manufacturing and potential for advancement. The application of the assessment tool to the case study demonstrates the potential of the spectrum as a diagnostic and planning tool, able to reveal placebased challenges and opportunities and to enable targeted action. However, given the range of rural contexts, we acknowledge potential limitations in the transferability of the spectrum and assessment tool. The purpose of this article is to share the proposed advanced manufacturing spectrum model for further discussion, testing, and refinement based on its application in other rural regions. We invite further testing of the proposed spectrum and assessment tool to better understand the size and scope of current advanced manufacturing activities across rural places, and to share observations and lessons around the transferability of the spectrum. This article highlights the complex dynamics between government policies, local capacities, and entrepreneurial initiatives in the context of rural development, offering valuable considerations for policymakers and researchers interested in advancing manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to evaluate, analyze, and describe how the Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) "Berkat" are managed in Tulap Village, Kombi District. In this research the author used a qualitative research approach with the research object namely the Village-Owned Enterprise (BUMDes) "Berkat" Tulap Village, Kombi District. The focus of this research is the evaluation of the "Berkat" Village-Owned Enterprise in Supporting the economic development of Tulap Village, Kombi District with sub-focus: evaluation of planning, implementation, and supervision. The results of the research show that 1) The planning stage for managing business activities at BUMDes "Berkat" in Tulap Village has not been implemented properly, thus affecting the process of implementing business activities so that it has not been able to have a significant impact on economic development in Tulap Village; 2) The implementation of each business activity at the BUMDes "Berkat" Tulap Village has not been optimal, so that the stated goal of establishing the BUMDes "Berkat" Tulap Village cannot be achieved due to the lack of ability and knowledge of the BUMDes management in carrying out each business activity; 3) It is certain that supervision of BUMDes "Berkat" in Tulap Village is not going well. This is due to a lack of knowledge from the supervisors appointed by the government and also a lack of attention from the relevant agencies regarding the management of BUMDes so that the process of achieving goals cannot run well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of rural revitalization, the research in this paper firstly excavates the mechanism of the digital economy’s role in rural economic development and explores the development trend of the data economy. The evaluation system of the rural digital economic development level is constructed based on the needs of rural economic development, combined with the entropy value objective assignment method. Based on this basis, the impact of the digital economy and rural revitalization is analyzed using gray correlation degree and spatial economic distance matrix. The three indicators of information and communication, digital economy industry, and innovation ability have a greater degree of influence on the development status of the rural digital economy, with weights accounting for 21.05%, 38.12%, and 22.25%, respectively. The gray correlation between the level of digital industrialization, the level of industrial digitization, and the level of economic development varies between 0.687 and 0.852 and 0.491 and 0.643, respectively, and the correlation between them and the level of high-quality economic development is obvious. From a spatial point of view, the Moran indexes of the development level of rural revitalization and the development level of the digital economy are both significantly positive, and p is less than 0.05, and there is an obvious spatial clustering phenomenon in both the digital economy and rural revitalization. This study provides a new path for exploring the balanced development of China’s digital economy and promoting rural economic revitalization and provides theoretical references and a realistic basis for narrowing the urban-rural economic gap.

With deepening of rural revitalization strategy, rural infrastructure construction plays an important role in local economic development and living environment governance. Based on the mediation model, this paper takes case study of 285 cities in China from 2017 to 2022 as samples, constructs the explanatory variable, the explained variable and the mediator variable by entropy method, empirically analyzes the impact of rural infrastructure construction on rural living environment governance and rural economic development, as well as the mediation role played by rural living environment governance. It is found that there is a significant positive impact between rural infrastructure construction and rural economic development, and rural infrastructure construction can promote economic development through rural living environment governance. Further analysis show that the impact of rural infrastructure construction on rural economic development presents heterogeneity, and the impacts of rural infrastructure construction on local economic development and on local economic development through living environment governance in the eastern and central China is stronger than that in the western China. After controlling a series of variables related to rural infrastructure construction, and performing endogeneity tests and robustness tests such as tail-shrinkage regression and principal component analysis, the regression results are still robust. This paper firstly provides scientific empirical evidence for the hypothesis that rural infrastructure construction promotes local economic development through rural living environment governance, and secondly confirms the necessity of strengthening rural infrastructure construction in China to promote rural revitalization, providing a policy basis for scientific decision-making, and finally finds an important way out to solve the problem of unbalanced economic development in rural areas to some extent.

This article probes the rural economic development approach in selected informal settlements in Durban and how such approach affects the vulnerability of local Black women to flood impacts within the areas. Qualitative data for the study were gathered through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 25 local Black women from Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu and Umlazi. Five key informants from the eThekwini (Durban) metropolitan municipality were also interviewed. Findings from the study showed that although there is improved economic development in the selected settlements, which constitute informal settlements designated for Black South Africans during the apartheid era, such an economic development approach has not significantly improved the livelihoods and adaptive capacity of the local women. The article suggests a multidimensional approach to development that is practical, inclusive and equitable, and addresses local women's challenges associated with climate adaptation and sustainable livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) aims to invest 400 million New Zealand dollar to provide 99% of New Zealanders with access to 50 Mbps peak broadband speed, with the remaining 1% at 10 Mbps by 2025. By 2017, stage 1 of the RBI has been completed, and research is needed to find out the level of usage, proficiency, and productivity achieved by then. Therefore, a survey was carried out to learn whether the rural residents and their communities are making good use of the new fast broadband connection. The survey collected data from 217 rural residents from North Island, and the results indicate that about half of the interview respondents are satisfied with the new broadband speed and the reliability which is offered by RBI stage 1. However, there is about 28% of the respondents disagreed with them. The majority of the Internet uses for rural residents are information searching, reading news, online entertainment, and online banking. Besides that, only a small proportion of respondents know how to utilize the Internet in their work/business and benefit/profit from it, e.g., using cloud technology capabilities and online marketing campaigns, etc. by then. Therefore, we argue that information and communications technologies (ICT) adoption is not only the availability of the infrastructure but also the beneficial outcomes of Internet availability. In other words, Internet skills in-depth training and education need to catch up with the infrastructure deployment, which is useful to fuel the digital productivity and inclusion for booming rural economies. The survey data-driven findings presented in this paper could serve as a reference to inform government policymakers and those who wish to create, invest, and take actions to speed up the economic and social growth of rural communities in Aotearoa New Zealand through the Internet while shifting from the Internet speed and traffic volume-driven to a more effective Internet connectivity and value-added driven rural economy.

The development of agro-tourism which brings together the agrarian and tourism sphere, can contribute to the socio-economic development of rural regions and enhance the well-being of rural population, especially for the sustainable development of small-scale farms. The aim of this paper is to examine the development opportunities for small-scale farms through agro-tourism; moreover, to obtain comments that can inform government policy on the development of small-scale farms in agro-tourism; and lastly to determine the importance of agro-tourism in rural development. The study utilised a qualitative single case study that examined the views of a small-scale farmers on the prospects of introducing elements of agro-tourism in farm development. The results suggests that, for small-scale farms to continually develop and obtain sustainable success, it necessitates a well-constructed agro-tourism strategy. Furthermore, the significance of government support to small-scale farms sustainable development, as agro-tourism is recognised as an alternative farming activity that can diversify operations of small-scale farmers, and overall contribute to the sustainable development of a rural economy. Therefore, the development of a strategy for agro-tourism needs not only small-scale farmers understanding of government policy-decisions but should incorporate the small-scale farmers point of view on the subject to develop a sustainable agro-tourism destination.

The development of agro-tourism which brings together the agrarian and tourism sphere, can contribute to the socio-economic development of rural regions and enhance the well-being of rural population, especially for the sustainable development of small-scale farms. The aim of this paper is to examine the development opportunities for small-scale farms through agro-tourism; moreover, to obtain comments that can inform government policy on the development of small-scale farms in agro-tourism; and lastly to determine the importance of agro-tourism in rural development. The study utilised a qualitative single case study that examined the views of a small-scale farmers on the prospects of introducing elements of agro-tourism in farm development. The results suggests that, for small-scale farms to continually develop and obtain sustainable success, it necessitates a well-constructed agro-tourism strategy. Furthermore, the significance of government support to small-scale farms sustainable development, as agro-tourism is recognised as an alternative farming activity that can diversify operations of small-scale farmers, and overall contribute to the sustainable development of a rural economy. Therefore, the development of a strategy for agro-tourism needs not only small-scale farmers understanding of government policy-decisions but should incorporate the small-scale farmers point of view on the subject to develop a sustainable agro-tourism destination [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural ecological environment is the premise and foundation of rural economic development and the rural economy is an important manifestation of the vitality of the agricultural ecological environment. Taking 14 prefecture-level cities in Guangxi as the research object, this paper collects and sorts out the relevant data indicators of rural economy and agricultural ecological environment of them from 2007 to 2019, constructs the evaluation index system, calculates the development index by using the comprehensive index function, and finally uses an innovative digitization evaluation scheme to further evaluate the spatiotemporal coupling and coordination relationship between the rural economy and agricultural ecological environment. The following conclusions are ultimately drawn. First, the comprehensive level index of the rural economy shows linear growth with unbalanced regional development (values from 0.306 to 0.598). Second, the comprehensive index of the agricultural ecological environment shows fluctuating growth with obvious regional differences (values from 0.264 to 0.483). Third, the development of rural economy and agricultural ecological environment is not synchronized, and there is mutual influence. Fourth, the coordination level of the rural economy and agricultural ecological environment is low (coupling values from 0.369 to 0.513). Then, policy inspirations are proposed. First, the investment in agricultural science and technology innovation should be increased and the modern agricultural technology system. Second, agricultural industrial structure should be optimized and the agricultural industrial chain. Third, the construction of agricultural infrastructure should be improved, and the high-quality development of agriculture should be promoted. Fourth, the education of ecological civilization should be strengthened, and awareness of ecological and environmental protection should be established. Fifth, they should strengthen education and training and cultivate new professional farmers. Sixth, they should improve the utilization rate of land and enhance the arable land production capacity.

Although outdoor recreation and tourism drive the economies of many gateway and natural amenity regions (GNARs), community leaders in these areas often lack a clear understanding of how to strategically invest in resources in ways that lead to a balanced portfolio of assets that meets market demands. This research investigates the relationship between the supply of and demand for outdoor recreation and tourism in GNARs across southeastern Utah. We characterize supply assets using four asset classes: economic , environmental , infrastructural , and sociocultural. We quantify the demand for outdoor recreation and tourism using geotagged social media in gateway communities adjacent to national parks and other public lands. Our analysis revealed environmental assets (historic trails, viewpoints, proximity to national parks, and campsites specifically) are highly and significantly correlated with outdoor recreation and tourism demand. The findings can guide local, state, regional, and federal officials in strategically investing in tourism assets that align with market demands. For example, strategic investments across the study area in the development of viewpoints that showcase the region's spectacular red rock and desert landscapes, as well as campsites where visitors can base their explorations, are likely to see significant and positive returns in terms of visitation. • This study targets gateway and natural amenity region (GNAR) communities. • We examine the relationship between tourism supply and demand for rural economic development. • Tourism supply is characterized by four asset classes. • Tourism demand is quntified based on geotagged social media. • Findings support regional officials to strategically invest in tourism assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female entrepreneurs in rural America are rarely studied, despite local economic context likely shaping their (self‐) employment choices. Development literature suggests entrepreneurship is most prevalent at the lowest and highest income levels, creating a U‐shaped relationship between economic development measured with per capita income on the x‐axis and the entrepreneurship rate (startups) on the y‐axis. At the county level in the United States, we find that female‐led startup rates vary with per capita income in the predicted U‐shape. Results provide support for place‐based entrepreneurship policy and highlight challenges women face while trying to contribute to the rural economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the factors influencing the emergence of disparities between rural and urban regions is the varying level of financial inclusion of the population. The system of microfinancing is becoming an important mechanism against poverty and social exclusion in Europe. However, there is available very limited legal, regulatory and historical information on the microfinance system in the Czech Republic. As a result, microfinance institutions are absent and small entrepreneurs tend to use expensive consumer credit products, thereby increasing the risk of over-indebtedness. The aim of this research is to examine the repayment performance of the European microfinance institutions with increased share of clients from rural areas. Based on an empirical statistical analysis of an unique European microfinance institutions' database, we are presenting evidence that suggests that microfinance systems perform better in rural than in urban areas. This finding is strongly recommended for consideration in the development of policies to guide legal frameworks regarding microfinancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted economies around the world, and rural Canada is no exception. In this paper, we explore the economic development impacts of the pandemic on rural communities across Canada. We seek to provide a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of how rural communities have responded to this crisis and the extent to which they are able to build long-term rural resilience through their responses and plans for recovery. To do so, we draw upon novel data derived from a survey of rural economic development practitioners from across Canada. Our findings are structured around three main themes: economic development and business impacts, economic development responses, and resources needed for recovery. The study highlights the geographic unevenness of impacts, responses, and resource needs to address the challenges introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, our research underscores the importance of capacity and context as rural economic development practitioners and other rural leaders have responded to these challenges. Finally, this research provides important insights into the tools and strategies that could build long-term rural resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development is evolving, where building the economy was once the largely purview of businesses and governments, increasingly, communities are taking action to build local economies that are more sustainable, equitable and inclusive. As community participation in local economic development increases, new, more collaborative governance models are beginning to emerge. This research leverages a community economies framework to explore the role of non-traditional, community actors in advancing local economic development. Building on the local, rural, and asset-based community development scholarship, this study aims to fill the gap in the literature through an empirical investigation into how one rural community, in Prince Edward County, Ontario, is developing a new governance structure to build a community-led economic development plan. Data for this research was collected through focus groups, key informant interviews and community conversations. Results highlight that when building the local economy, especially in rural communities, it is important to take an assets-first approach; leverage cross-sector partnerships; and experiment with innovative models to drive economic development. This research also illustrates the complexity of developing an alternative governance structure and offers perspectives on navigating the changing field of local economic development. • New approaches to economic development are more inclusive of community voices. • Emerging governing structures create spaces for experimentation. • Community led governance structures benefit from cross-sector collaboration. • Rural communities are innovating with new approaches to economic development. • A community wealth building approach to economic development keeps wealth circulating locally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals who lack financial education have a hard time starting a business. As they have no access to commercial banking, they turn to friends, family, and moneylenders. Currently, microfinance satisfies those money needs and its economic boost enables individuals, especially women, to invest and reduce their household expenses. Microfinance is also impacting the economy of rural communities. The results indicate that groups of entrepreneurial women have been formed, producing a significant growth of their local economy. This quantitative descriptive study aims at identifying the characteristics of those who apply for microcredits by analyzing a sample of 50 entrepreneurs. The data obtained in this work reveal that, in 2016, an average of 50,000 microloans were granted in the coast of Chiapas; 70% of them were devoted to working capital and the remaining 30%, to fixed assets.

This article presents a case study on the efforts to reestablish ferry service for an isolated island-type community in Wilcox County, Alabama, known as Gee’s Bend or by the formal name of Boykin. Gee’s Bend, a community of inhabitants who can trace their ancestry to slaves on the antebellum plantation there, depended on the ferry to provide access to the county seat of Camden, the center for social and economic activity. There was no ferry between 1962 and 2006. For forty-four years the ferry did not operate, having had its’ cable deliberately cut so that Gee’s Bend residents could not get to Camden to register to vote. It was an attempt to lessen the political power of the African-Americans in the area. This article explains the key economic and political factors that resulted in restoration of service for the Gee’s Bend ferry.

Economic and societal challenges continue to impact rural areas across the United States. This is especially true in the western mountain and plains states where populations are small. Towns are often far from one another and separated by geological features that can cause more physical isolation. Libraries are often the only sites with good public internet, meeting spaces, and knowledgeable staff able to navigate the available information resources. This article surveyed the lay of the community landscape in the mountains and plains region and noted resources related to economic development for librarians. Resources are included that are inexpensive yet highly effective in helping their communities grow businesses and economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in rural Manitoba and the Philippines, this paper uses the example of the small town of Douglas, which since 2009 has been home to a small Filipino community, as a tenuous counter-point to the accounts of exclusion that dominate the scholarship on Temporary Foreign Labour in Canada. This paper draws on ethnographic research conducted in Manitoba with the region’s newest immigrants—those recruited to ensure the viability of the new, diversified rural regional economy, and more specifically, the tourism and hospitality sector, established in the 1970s. In 2009, unable to meet its labour needs regionally, a local hotel began recruiting temporary foreign labour. By 2014, the Hotel had recruited 71 workers from the Philippines, most of whom arrived through Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program; others having arrived through the province’s immigration scheme, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). A reflection of the ubiquity of globalized Filipino migration, the well-being of these workers had long been informed by economic development in the Philippines and the centrality of international labour mobility to that state project. What emerges from the data is a simultaneous acceptance and contestation of the conditions of transnational family life, and moreover—reflecting the focus of this special issue—the extent to which migrant well-being shifts in accordance to labour mobility regimes responsive to development. Migrant workers and their families are implicated in these connected, yet differently motivated, state projects. And while particular narratives concerning their contributions come to be valorized and even celebrated, their mental, physical, affective, and relational well-being is often over-looked by those who benefit from their labour and mobility. Of equal importance is the provincial state’s participation in this process through the provision of permanent residency to existing and in-coming migrants. While this benefits individual families, it does not inherently challenge the logics of neoliberalism; rather, drawing on its nuances, it create new possibilities for capital accumulation and exploitation, while offering some protection for select families who are willing and able to abide by the terms established by their employer and the Manitoba state.

Despite substantial funding going to regional economic development programs, little is known about the benefits of some of the smaller, place-based programs. The authors extend the literature on regional commissions by analyzing the economic gains to the Delta Regional Authority (DRA). The DRA was founded in 2000 to provide enhanced development aid to 252 lower Mississippi Valley counties. Using data from 1997 to 2016, the authors assess the DRA's impact on employment, income, migration, and poverty. One-to-one propensity score matching is used to generate counterfactual counties. Because of the endogenous nature of the treatment, the authors instrument for counties being included in the DRA using a dummy for whether the county is within the lower Mississippi watershed. The ensuing results reflect an estimation of the intent-to-treat benefits of the DRA. The authors find that the DRA is associated with income gains and decreases in unemployment; however, it has no impact on poverty or migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural heritage has become a development resource for many rural areas in China driven by developmentalism and capitalism. This article takes handcrafts revival as a case study to demonstrate that how cultural heritage as rural economic development involves various power entanglements and interactions. In this process of development, we see how Miao people use their agency to enact different strategies to react to a multiplicity of circumstances. This research uses Rocheleau's rooted networks framework as a tool but expands the concept based on critical discussion and ambivalent experiences in Danzhai county, Guizhou Province, China. Collecting data from participatory observation, and a series of unstructured and semi-structured interviews in Danzhai, we explore the entangled web of network relations in the process of batik production, and examine how Miao artisans employ their agency to negotiate with different stakeholders and develop a regional batik market. Research demonstrates that making batik weaves Miao people's economic demand, social relations and cultural meaning to form a new social integration mechanism. This mechanism is networked by various relationships in Miao villages including production, distribution, exchange and cooperation. We find that the networks framework allows us to see how powers multiply, but could not explicitly explain some cases and concepts within local knowledge and social contexts. We find that it is necessary to modify Rocheleau's framework in order to incorporate non-western indigenous concepts in China. • Rural China is as living, uneven, plural and variegated as its geography, development and transformation. • Cultural heritage has become a development resource for many rural areas in China driven by developmentalism and capitalism. • The "rooted networks" framework provides new concepts to analyze multiple actors and networked landscapes. • Batik production webs Miao people's specific ontology, lifestyle, social relation and cooperation. • Making batik reflects the multiple ontology and related beings, which are dynamically structured by rooted networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the factors causing the current poor performance of most government irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa. The literature review finds that the poor performance is not primarily caused by socioeconomic and biophysical conditions inherent to sub-Saharan Africa. African farmers have adapted to diverse biophysical conditions and expanded or contracted their area under agricultural water management in response to market signals. Rather, this poor performance is predominantly linked to the production systems introduced during colonialism and developments since independence, such as agricultural policies restraining rural economic development, unsuitable irrigation technologies and agricultural practices, and international lending practices and trade arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The restoration economy has seen significant growth in the United States in recent decades, especially within the context of rural economic development. This paper traces the establishment of the restoration economy in the Mattole River Watershed, USA. Through semi-structured interviews and participant observation, we identified cultural, social, human, financial and political capitals as important components in the creation and maintenance of the restoration economy. This study seeks to highlight the socioeconomic benefits of restoration: how it can create employment and economic diversification, (re)connect people to their landscapes, promote skill and knowledge development, and build trust and reciprocity among community stakeholders. We end with a discussion of the important contributions of the restoration economy in a rural place, and key lessons for potential stakeholders in the development of restoration economies in other communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural wealth creation is a salient approach to local economic development. This paper advances the implementation of this practice by documenting how targeted business investments within a value chain built multiple forms of wealth. We provide exploratory evidence of how consideration of value chain gaps, wealth-building opportunities, potential for expansion, and an emphasis on improved livelihoods can prioritize the allocation of resources to support businesses. We further show how modest investments into targeted businesses built multiple forms of wealth throughout a value chain. Our results provide examples of how to implement the rural wealth creation concepts and a refined understanding of how to target business assistance in ways that build multiple forms of community capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural communities have faced significant socio-economic challenges for the past several decades due to structural shifts and changing social expectations regarding the management, production of, and markets for natural resources, including production agriculture. The New Natural Resource Economy (NNRE) is an economic development approach to the use of natural resources, including agriculture, in ways that can build healthy environments and healthy, resilient local economies (Hibbard and Lurie, 2013). A major attribute of the NNRE is its focus on very small businesses, the predominant business type in rural settings. Emerging trends, such as regional food networks (RFNs) that connect food producers to consumers within a state or local region, may provide opportunities for rural communities to diversify and expand local businesses around the use of natural resources, thereby helping to restore greater capacity for self-direction and adding to local community vitality. Thus, we address whether RFNs in rural Oregon counties display characteristics of an NNRE development strategy through the relationships between agricultural producers and consumers that support very small agricultural enterprises. Based on analysis of Oregon producer survey data from 2016 in the more rural resource-dependent Oregon counties, we find that the RFN producer survey respondents are indeed very small businesses engaged in small-scale, multifunctional agriculture. They are motivated by economic, social, and environmental concerns as they contribute to the economic activity in their communities. We also surveyed Oregon consumers, finding that although consumer survey respondents in the same region are not primarily driven to buy local based on environmental considerations, they are nonetheless interested in supporting agriculture and local businesses. The demand for local products can create a virtuous cycle contributing to the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the community. Given appropriate policy and program support, there is fertile ground to create new opportunities to generate farm income and acquire food within the NNRE healthy environment-healthy economy paradigm for rural economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on the economic impacts of introducing woody biomass processing in an economically distressed, but heavily forested Central Appalachian U.S. region. Woody biomass is a readily available unconventional energy source that has the potential to boost the rural region's economy. They use a static regional computable general equilibrium model to assess long-run economic impacts of two woody biomass processing production pathways of biomass to ethanol through fermentation and biomass to biofuel through fast pyrolysis. While the 232 to 370 jobs and $13 million to $21 million income might seem small relative to the multicounty region, the localized impact on the county in which the facility would be sited, even for the direct jobs and income impacts, would be much more substantial. The authors conclude that woody biomass processing is a viable economic development option for the study area and similar rural regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ager: Journal of Depopulation & Rural Development Studies / Revista de Estudios sobre Despoblación y Desarrollo Rural is the property of Rolde de Estudios Aragoneses and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista CEA is the property of Revista CEA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Indonesia has a diverse culture where culture is an attempt of a man to maintain their identity. The role of local culture on the characteristics of rural economic development will be explained through the Universal Cultural Elements. The purpose of this study was to determine (1) the role of culture Ngadas Village Poncokusumo Malang on the characteristics of rural economic development, and (2) the characteristics of the village economic development Ngadas Poncokusumo Malang. This study used a qualitative approach, while the type of research is ethnography. Data collected through interviews, observation and documentation covering the cultural and economic development of the village. Results of the study are (1) the cultural community is very influential on the characteristics of rural economic development. (2) Characteristics of the village economic development Ngadas Poncokusumo Malang is Agriculture Rural Area.

Many of the most deeply and persistently distressed regions of the United States, such as parts of West Virginia, suffer from extremely low levels of labor force participation. These are regions where economic despair seems to have taken hold for generations and which face numerous other impediments to economic prosperity, such as opioid abuse. Better understanding these linkages can lead to policy solutions to help the most disadvantaged places break the cycle of economic despair. Using county-level data, we begin by estimating a series of models that allow us to understand the drivers of local labor force participation. We also consider how these drivers may differ between rural and urban areas. We then analyze how levels of participation in the labor force are related to other measures of economic distress. We find that there is significant variation in the drivers of rural and urban labor force participation; however, much of the variation can be explained by known factors. Yet, our results also suggest that there remains some portion of the lower levels of labor force participation in West Virginia and Appalachia that cannot be explained by other factors. Since it appears that labor force participation is important to explaining higher levels of employment growth in rural areas, for persistently distressed regions, finding ways to increase labor force participation may be a critical step toward increasing economic prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates whether graduate unemployed youth from the Mankweng area in Limpopo Province are aware of small, medium and microenterprise support programmes. The article also explores the unemployed youth's interest in starting their own business ventures. This study is premised on the understanding that youth participation in the activities of small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) can reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country and can contribute towards bettering the economy of especially rural areas. This article applied a qualitative research method. The study focused on 15 unemployed youth graduates based in the Mankweng area. Data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews. The main findings indicate that only 27 per cent of the participants are aware of some of the available SMME support programmes; and only 40 per cent show interest in starting their own businesses. The study recommends that these programmes ought to be publicised more and be made accessible to the youth, particularly in rural areas. In addition, entrepreneurial education needs to start early at primary school level. Such early awareness will help to build entrepreneurial acumen amongst the youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]