The objective of this study was twofold: (1) to identify nontraditional sources of data that can be used to monitor economic activity in rural areas, and (2) to test the relationship between such data and trends in traditional measures, such as income and employment.

Economic restructuring in rural areas of the Midwest has stimulated a myriad of initiatives. This paper examines recent economic development patterns in the rural Midwest and reviews traditional policy approaches prescribed for dealing with rural problems. These approaches relate to resource...

The objective of this study was to explore a new method of analyzing the performance of substate economies. A major limitation of conventional analyses of economic diversity and growth is the reliance on static measures of economic structure. Such measures do not capture the patterns of growth...

A better understanding of the relationship between a state's agricultural sector and the national agricultural economy increases the ability of agricultural interest groups to anticipate and understand policy developments. This paper develops and documents a state-level model of the Iowa...

The signing of the Food Security Act of 1985 (FSA 85), by President Reagan in December 1985 culminated a lengthy deliberation process involving food producing and consuming groups throughout the United States. During the debate, an analysis of a wide range of policy options for the 1985 Farm...

On July 27, 1993 a multidisciplinary committee was formed at Iowa State University to provide preliminary estimates for the economic effects of the 1993 floods on Iowa's agricultural enterprises. This report summarizes the committee's initial estimates of the losses by broad economic category;...

A better understanding of the relationship between a state's agricultural sector and the national agricultural economy increases the ability of agricultural interest groups to anticipate and understand policy developments. This paper develops and documents a state-level model of the Iowa...

In general, economic conditions have favored Iowa as a premier livestock-producing state, but at the same time, government policies have worked against Iowa's livestock-feeding industries. The authors trace Iowa's dilemma as it must decide whether to become self-sufficient in feed, or be one of...

A 1996 welfare act that allows states more leeway in designing their own welfare programs is expected to dramatically change the role of local governments with respect to human service delivery programs. It is important that policymakers and local officials understand how changes are likely to...