Progress 08/15/06 to 08/14/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: There was further development within USDA Rural Development of the Socio-Economic Benefit Assessment System designed to measure the impact of federal programs in rural areas, with an initial focus on business loan programs. RUPRI Community Information Resource Center provided data analysis and visualization for several organizations including the Rural Early Childhood Mapping Initiative and United Way of America. Fifty state demographic and economic profiles were produced for elected officials, as well as maps of demographic information for Congressional committees. RUPRI overhauled its website to make it more user-friendly and reflective of the whole RUPRI portfolio. RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship with the Economic Research Service co-sponsored a conference on rural entrepreneurship research in Washington DC. With the National Association of Counties (NACo), the center published a guide for county leaders on entrepreneurship development, which was distributed to the NACo Rural Advisory Council and presented at NACo's annual conference in Chicago. The center began evaluations of the Appalachian Regional Commission's Entrepreneurship Initiative, the Kentucky Coaches Institute, and Northern Initiatives, MI; led community entrepreneurship development planning and facilitation as part of West Alabama-East Mississippi WIRED initiative (WAEM); provided training for communities in NC, ND, MI, NE, and IN, and a policy academy in MN; prepared case studies on rural businesses using e-commerce for the new eXtension Communities of Practice website; and partnered with the Regional Rural Development Centers to integrate the National Coalition for Rural Entrepreneurship materials into the RUPRI website. RUPRI and the University of Missouri established a Center for Regional Competitiveness in Kansas City to provide tools to assist regions craft effective competitiveness strategies and governance models to implement these strategies. The center led regional strategy development for WAEM. RUPRI staffed the Rural Community College Alliance and formed the Alliance for Rural Colleges with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges initially to pursue workforce development efforts. RUPRI Rural Health Panel published an issue brief on rural definitions and presented to the Senate Agriculture Committee staff on the use of Rural Development funds to support rural health infrastructure. RUPRI provided the secretariat for the Coalition of State Rural Policy Centers which met in Maryland to discuss rural demographic challenges; hosted a rural policy dinner at the National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in San Antonio, Texas; and helped organize the 5th annual State Agriculture Chairs Summit in Washington DC. RUPRI maintained the Rural Poverty Research Center website, and made presentations on poverty and welfare reform to the National Advisory Committee on Health and Human Services in Washington DC. RUPRI prepared a brief for National Rural Funders Collaborative on the future of rural philanthropy, and conducted statewide studies on the scale and timing of inter-generational wealth transfer in OH, MI, IL, PA, and NY. PARTICIPANTS: RUPRI staff supported by the project were Charles Fluharty, RUPRI Director (until April 6, 2007) and principal investigator; Brian Dabson, RUPRI Associate Director (subsequently president and CEO) who worked across all RUPRI activities, especially relating to entrepreneurship; Marcie McLaughlin, Director, National Policy Programs responsible for community college activities and for liaison between RUPRI and Congress/Administration in Washington DC; Jocelyn Richgels, Associate Director, National Policy Programs responsible for health and human services activities and for liaison between RUPRI and Congress/Administration in Washington DC; Nancy Stark, Director, Rural Governance Initiative; Deborah Markley, Managing Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship; Christopher Fulcher, Director, Erin Barbaro and Michelle Flenner, GIS Specialists, Community Information Resource Center; Kathleen Miller, Program Director responsible for managing Congressional information requests and for website redesign; Sally Coats, Fiscal Officer and Susan Kelly Fiscal Assistant; Lori Christopher, Administrative Assistant and webmaster; and Tyson Ebert, Research Assistant. Consulting agreements were entered into with Bobby Gierisch who directed State Policy Programs, Robert Stumberg of Georgetown University who provided research and counsel on impact of World Trade Organization rulings on rural America, and Tom Rowley who provided research and editorial support. Other individuals who were not supported by the project but had an impact on program activities included Keith Mueller, Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis; Thomas Johnson, Director of Analytic and Academic Programs and director of SEBAS program; and Mark Drabenstott, Director, Center for Regional Competitiveness. Partner organizations include College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources and the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri; Rural Community College Alliance; Rural Assistance Center; and the Harrison Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. Collaborations include USDA Rural Development, US Office of Rural Health Policy; Brookings Institution; German Marshall Fund of the United States; the Rural Regional Development Centers, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Coalition of State Rural Policy Centers, State Agriculture and Rural Leaders Association, National Rural Funders Collaborative, National Rural Assembly, CFED, Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development, International Comparative Rural Policy Studies Program, National Association of Development Organizations, National Association of Counties, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governors Association, and National Rural Health Association. TARGET AUDIENCES: RUPRI's mission is to provide unbiased analysis and information on the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing rural people and places, and to spur public dialogue and help policymakers understand the impacts of public policies and programs on rural people and places. The primary target audiences are therefore legislators and their staffs in the US Senate, the US House of Representatives, state capitols, and county seats, together with the relevant administrators and officials. Secondary target audiences are key influencers such as trade, professional, and public interest organizations, other policy institutions within and outside higher education, land grant institutions and extension services, community colleges, national and regional philanthropies, and the broad range of nonprofit organizations that serve rural America. RUPRI also reaches a variety of national, regional, and local rural interests through conferences, publications, and its websites, and through direct community strategic planning, facilitation, and training particularly in the area of rural entrepreneurship.
Impacts
During 2006-2007 RUPRI has been effective in creating and sustaining important infrastructure for policy development and decision-support in many sectors that impact rural America. Through the RUPRI Community Information Resource Center and the Socio-Economic Benefit Assessment System, it has developed the intellectual and technical capacity to provide assessment and analytics for US Congress and the Administration on the effectiveness of programs and the impact of definitional changes, as well as an important data visualization resource for the public and nonprofit sectors. RUPRI is a partner in the Rural Assistance Center, which provides health and human services information to many rural stakeholders. In 2006, over 426,000 unique visits were made to the website, and specialists responded to nearly 1,000 requests for customized assistance. The RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship has established itself as the preeminent place for applied research, facilitation and training on rural entrepreneurship. It helps elected officials, community leaders, philanthropy, and others understand the importance of entrepreneurship as a rural economic development strategy, and provides them with the tools for implementation. The vital importance of regionalism as the framing for rural competitiveness has been institutionalized through the creation of the RUPRI Center for Regional Competitiveness, which is helping to create a new market for regional analysis and governance. RUPRI has been instrumental in creating a new forum for community college presidents who serve rural regions to develop a common voice and explore collective action, initially as an independent organization and subsequently as a council of the American Association of Community Colleges, with substantive outreach to Canadian colleges. The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis and the RUPRI Rural Health Panel are the primary resource for assessing the impact of legislative and regulatory changes in healthcare as they effect rural communities and regions. At the state level, RUPRI has supported the formation of the Coalition for State Rural Policy Centers to encourage peer learning and knowledge transfer between centers, and through its sponsorship with the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders Association of the annual State Ag Chairs Summit raises awareness and commitment of state agriculture legislators of the critical interdependence of agriculture and rural development and of the importance of investment in rural development. RUPRI has also been centrally engaged in state rural policy development, primarily in Indiana. RUPRI has been an active participant in the creation of the National Rural Assembly, an effort to give voice to rural America through organizing and convening an annual summit and other activities with the support of the Kellogg and Ford Foundations. RUPRI has worked to strengthen its international linkages to support knowledge development and transfer on rural development policy and practice, specifically with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the European Union, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture.
Publications
- Green, John J. and Albert B. Nylander. 2006. A Community Based Framework for Understanding Problems and Exploring Alternatives: Connecting Underemployment, Poverty, and Access to Health Care in the Mississippi Delta. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 02.
- Pickering, Kathleen, David Mushinski, and John C. Allen. 2006. The Role of Social Capital in Poverty Alleviation in Native American Reservation Communities. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 07.
- RUPRI Rural Health Panel. 2006. The Institute of Medicine Rural Health Report: Next Steps in Legislation and Programs. Policy Paper.
- RUPRI Rural Health Panel. 2006. Medicaid and Its Importance to Rural Health. Issue Brief.
- RUPRI Rural Health Panel. 2007. Choosing Rural Definitions: Implications for Health Policy. Issue Brief.
- Schroeder, Craig. 2007. The Difference makers: Entrepreneurial Young People. In Walzer, Norman (Ed.) Entrepreneurship as a Local Development Strategy in Rural Areas. Lexington Books, Lanham, MD.
- Slack, Tim. 2006. Work, Welfare, and the Informal Economy: An Examination of Family Livelihood Strategies in Rural Pennsylvania. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 06.
- Strover, Sharon and Seung-Hwan Mun. 2006. Wireless Broadband, Communities, and the Shape of Things to Come. Government Information Quarterly, Volume 23, Issue 3-4.
- Ward, Sally and Heather Turner. 2006. Work and Welfare Strategies Among Single Mothers in Rural New England: The Role of Social Networks and Social Support. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 04.
- Bernell, Stephanie, Bruce Weber, and Mark Edwards. 2006. Restricted Opportunities, Personal Choices, Ineffective Policies: What Explains Food Insecurity in Oregon. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, volume 31, number 2.
- Gierisch, Bobby. 2006. Rural Centers Work for Rural Legislators. StateNews, the magazine of the Council of State Governments, August Issue.
- Green, Gary P. 2006. Gender, Race, and Employer Provided Job Training in Low Wage Jobs. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 01.
- Hardy, David E. and Stephen G. Katsinas. 2007. Classifying Community Colleges: How Rural Community Colleges Fit. In Rural Community Colleges: Teaching, Learning and Leading in the Heartland: New Directions for Community Colleges, edited by Pamela L. Eddy and John P. Murray. Monograph Number 137.
- Johnson, Thomas, Dan Otto, and Steve Deller, editors. 2006. Community Policy Analysis Modeling. Blackwell Publishers, Ames, Iowa.
- Johnson, Thomas G. 2007. Place-Based Economic Policy: Innovation or Fad? Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Volume 36 number 1.
- Macke, Don. 2006. The HomeTown Competitiveness Initiative. Economic Development America, Winter Issue.
- Bradshaw, Ted K. 2006. Theories of Poverty and Anti Poverty Programs in Community Development. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 05.
- Colocousis, Chris and Cynthia M. Duncan. 2006. Poverty, Community, and Change. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Commissioned Research Paper.
- Dabson, Brian. 2007. Entrepreneurship as Economic Development Policy: A Changing Paradigm. In Walzer, Norman (Ed.) Entrepreneurship as a Local Development Strategy in Rural Areas. Lexington Books, Lanham, MD.
- Davis, Elizabeth, Deana Grobe, and Roberta Weber. 2006. Participation and Employment, Dynamics of Child Care Subsidy Users in Rural and Urban Oregon. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Commissioned Research Paper.
- Fluharty, Charles and Bill Scaggs. 2007. The Rural Differential: Bridging the Resource Gap. In Rural Community Colleges: Teaching, Learning and Leading in the Heartland: New Directions for Community Colleges, edited by Pamela L. Eddy and John P. Murray. Monograph Number 137.
- Gierisch, Bobby. 2006. State Rural Initiatives: Where the Money Comes From. Report prepared for and presented to the Agricultural Rural Chairs Summit, Phoenix, AZ.
- Macke, Don. 2007. Energizing Entrepreneurs: Lessons from the Field. In Walzer, Norman (Ed.) Entrepreneurship as a Local Development Strategy in Rural Areas. Lexington Books, Lanham, MD.
- MacTavish, Katerine A. 2006. We re Like the Wrong Side of the Tracks: Upscale Suburban Development, Social Inequality, and Rural Mobile Home Park Residence. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 03.
- Markley, Deborah. 2006. A Framework for Developing Rural Entrepreneurship. Economic Development America, Winter Issue.
- Markley, Deborah, Karen Dabson and Don Macke. 2006. Energizing an Entrepreneurial Economy: A Guide for County Leaders. National Association of Counties.
- Markley, Deborah and Karen Dabson. 2007. Approaches to Entrepreneurial Development: Cases from the Northwest Region. Report from the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.
- Markley, Deborah. 2007. Building Communities through Entrepreneurship Development: Financing Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Development Systems. In Walzer, Norman (Ed.) Entrepreneurship as a Local Development Strategy in Rural Areas. Lexington Books, Lanham, MD.
- Marre, Alexander W. and Bruce A. Weber. 2006. Assessing Community Capacity in Rural America: Some Lessons from Two Rural Observatories. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Working Paper Number 06 08.
- Marre, Alexander and Bruce Weber. 2006. Assessing Community Capacity in Rural America: Some Lessons from Two Rural Observatories. RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center Commissioned Research Paper.
- Miller, Kathleen and Charles W. Fluharty. 2006. Targeting Rural Populations based on Urbanized Area Geographies. RUPRI Farm Bill Policy Brief Number 1.
- Mosley, Jane and Kathleen Miller. 2006. Spatial Variations in Factors Affection Poverty: A Review of the Literature. Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, volume 13, number 1.
- Myers, Wayne D. 2006. What does Finland Have That We Don t? RUPRI Farm Bill Policy Brief Number 2.
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