Consistent with predictions from the literature, we find that higher levels of in-migration dilute multiple dimensions of a community's level of social capital. The analysis employs a 2SLS methodology to account for potential endogeneity of migration

We make use of predicted social and civic activities (social capital) to account for selection into "social" occupations. Individual selection accounts for more than the total difference in wages observed between social and nonsocial occupations. The role that individual social capital plays in...

Proponents of value-added agricultural enterprises (VAAE) argue for favorable government policies and funds to promote these industries as a local development strategy. Though regularly advocated at all levels of government, the beliefs regarding the benefits of VAAE to local economies merit...

The discussion outlines the ways in which crisis emasculates traditional methodology as used in economics by making the core assumptions of this type of analysis (temporarily) untenable. Our critique of traditional methodology is limited to its inability to address this critical subset of social...

Various forms of cooperation among local governments have long been advocated as means to aggregate resources and demand in rural areas so that public services and infrastructure can be improved. This research assesses the degree of multicounty collaboration in rural parts of the Tennessee...

This paper analyzes individuals' religious behavior from an economic perspective to explain religious behavior among residents of the rural South of the United States. Religious participation decisions of individuals in the rural South are analyzed within an allocation of time framework....

This study considers social capital and religious adherence as determinants of child poverty in the United States and finds that both social capital and religious adherence play a role in U.S. child poverty at the county level. The study also disaggregates the total religious adherence variable...