A survey of local governments' economic development strategies in declining rural American areas
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Citation
Abstract
The economic decline of many rural American towns in recent decades has
garnered much attention and research. Most of this research, however, has taken a
prescriptive approach to policy and has focused mainly on making recommendations for
how to “fix” rural America. No research has systematically looked at what declining rural
American areas are already doing to support their local economies and attempt to reverse
economic decline. This study explores 55 towns and counties, 50 through their planning
documents and five through a combination of planning documents and in-depth
informational interviews, to determine how local governments are responding to
economic decline. This analysis reveals that there is a very wide variety in both types of
response and the level of response. While some areas are doing very little to address
economic decline, other areas are implementing innovative and intensive approaches to
build more robust and diversified economies. Overall, the implication of this research is
that both scholars and policymakers should be careful to understand local contexts before
making prescriptive policy approaches.