In this paper we develop an autoregressive spatial simultaneous equations model to investigate the county-level determinants of small business growth and median household income in Appalachia during the period 1990-2000. Our GS2SLS and GS3SLS estimation results indicate significant spatial...

A three-step estimation method and a Nonlinear Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (NQAIDS) are used to assess the vegetable demand behavior of rural and urban households in the Philippines. The results show that most of the expenditure and own-price elasticities of the vegetables analyzed are...

Restructuring of U.S. banking markets has raised concerns that insufficient access to loanable funds will limit economic growth in some rural areas. Access to nonlocal funds can provide public benefits through enhanced competition and efficiency, but subsidized access to nonlocal funds can...

Even though farming accounts for only about 1 percent of the total national workforce, it is at the core of the food and fiber system. The system is one of the largest sectors in the U.S. economy, and is comprised of industries related to farming, including feed, seed, fertilizer, machinery,...

Advanced technology use is less prevalent in rural than in urban manufacturing plants, but plants of comparable size in the same industry use about the same level of technology, regardless of urban/rural location. The rural gap comes about because the mix of rural industries is more heavily...

Low skill levels among rural workers put rural manufacturing at a competitive disadvantage, according to the "skills shortage" theory. Data from the ERS Rural Manufacturing Survey, conducted in 1996, suggest that is not happening. Skill requirements are rising, but manufacturers who reported...

Rural areas in the United States stand to benefit from new highway funding legislation, especially the South. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) authorizes sharply increased funding for major roads and is the single largest public works bill in U.S. history. Over a...

The results of an on-going exploratory study focused on disparities in entrepreneurial activities across 203 Metropolitan Statistical Areas among 18 industries in the US showed that there existed variations in the path of entrepreneurial development among MSAs and different industries. Resource...

The paper documents the degree of concentration of textile and apparel employment in rural countries, assesses the vulnerability to job loss by detailed industry in light of the expiration of import quotas, and assesses the potential for adjustment of displaced workers.

Development of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is a key engine to promote development of rural economy in developing countries. A common industrial organization among manufacturing SMEs, especially in rural areas, in Indonesia as in many other developing countries is...