Choices in production and contracting arrangements for a wide range of services were studied using data from approximately 1,000 small, mostly rural municipalities from Illinois, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. Results suggest the use of both for-profit contractors and cooperative agreements with...

Impacts of energy development on the secondary business sector of development-impacted counties are examined in a survey of seven western counties. Problems experienced by businesses in attracting and retaining qualified employees and in expanding to take advantage of growing markets are...

Patterns of economic growth in rural Appalachia are examined with a focus on natural and built amenities. While the literature is clear that rural areas endowed with scenic beauty, lakes, forests, and wildlife, among other natural amenities, and coupled with built amenities such as golf courses,...

The literature on the economic and fiscal impacts of in-migrating retirees on rural communities concentrates on the young, newly-retired. An issue not systematically addressed are the impacts on the communities as these retirees age. The Wisconsin Economic Impact Modeling System, a county level...

The intent of the applied research reported in this paper is to examine the relationship between growth and the fiscal health of a subset of local governments (incorporated cities) over the last decade. While any number of researchers has raised this question, the literature has tended to focus...