This article examines changes in the patterns of occupational employment in urban and rural labor markets in seven southern states between 1970 and 1990. A method is developed for assessing whether occupational employment patterns are becoming more differentiated over time. The analysis...

Population loss through net outmigration is endemic to many rural areas. Over a third of nonmetro counties lost at least 10 percent of their population through net outmigration over 1988-2008. Some of these counties have had very high poverty rates, substantial loss in manufacturing jobs, and...

A primary concern in rural development policy is the impact of government expenditures on economic growth, income and employment. The Socio-Economic Benefit Assessment System (SEBAS) model developed through academic/government collaboration in the United States is an example of a practical tool...

This paper addresses the possibility that competitive rural manufacturing is increasingly driven by quality-of-life factors required to attract highly skilled and creative workers. Recent findings that highly creative workers are drawn to amenity-rich rural areas provide the empirical leverage...