Source: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI submitted to NRP
RURAL POLICIES INSTITUTE, IA, MO, NE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0218481
Grant No.
2009-34255-19846
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2009-03375
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Aug 15, 2009
Project End Date
Aug 14, 2010
Grant Year
2009
Program Code
[GC]- Rural Policies Institute, IA, MO, NE
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
(N/A)
COLUMBIA,MO 65211
Performing Department
Social Sciences
Non Technical Summary
The mission of the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) is to assist policymakers in understanding the rural implications of public policies and programs. For 20 years, RUPRI's ability to provide this non-partisan, unbiased, and independent analysis and counsel has depended upon continued Congressional funding. This support enables RUPRI's policy research infrastructure to be sustained and free from the undue influence of any specific institution, governmental entity, sector, or special interest. The integrity with which RUPRI has maintained this autonomous commitment is an important factor in the widespread trust of policymakers in RUPRI's research and policy counsel. None of this would be possible without continuing Congressional funding. The current level of Congressionally-Directed funding to RUPRI has declined by nearly one-third over the last three years, while demands for RUPRI research, analysis, counsel, and decision-support has expanded exponentially. Federal, regional, and state policies often have very different spatial impacts. Since rural implications are seldom central to sector-specific decision processes, rural regions and communities are often ignored in these public policy deliberations. RUPRI's primary goal is to provide decision-makers with an objective assessment of these rural concerns and considerations. RUPRI achieves this outcome through four principal activities: 1. Providing timely, empirically-based, and non-partisan research, analysis, counsel, and education to policymakers, at all levels of government. 2. Fostering effective solutions to the challenges facing rural America, by providing neutral venues for decision-makers, practitioners, organizational leaders, and rural citizens to openly discuss policy alternatives and issues, as well as opportunities, challenges, and concerns. 3. Encouraging and supporting scholars in building collaborative research projects that enhance effective rural policy and practice, and facilitating collaboration across institutions and agencies that have the expertise, resources, and responsibilities to impact rural people and places. 4. Promoting innovative, collaborative, and systems-based approaches to address rural issues, through engagement of rural citizens at local, state, regional, state, national, and international levels. RUPRI is internationally-acknowledged as a leading policy institute, and represents a unique model for linking university-based research, public policy decision-support, and community-based practice. This creative organizational platform is an outstanding example of the continuing commitment of the Land-Grant University System to public policy and rural economic and community vitality.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
6086050301020%
6086050308010%
6106050301020%
6106050308010%
8056050301020%
8056050308020%
Goals / Objectives
RUPRI's mission is to provide unbiased analysis and information on the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing rural America, and spur public dialogue and help policymakers understand the impacts of public policies and programs on rural people and places. Objective 1: Continue and expand RUPRI capacity to provide support for key Federal programs and initiatives. RUPRI's focus during 2009 will be on four areas: impact of USDA Rural Development programs, promotion of regional approaches to the long-term viability and vitality of rural America, implications of different rural targeting definitions, and facilitation of inter-departmental collaborations in respect of rural regional innovation, nutrition and wellness, and food systems. Objective 2: Continue and expand RUPRI capacity to conduct policy analyses on topics critical to the future of rural America. RUPRI's priorities for policy analysis will be drawn from the following: rural broadband deployment and adoption, rural implications of climate change and energy independence, implications of changes in tax policies and financial regulations for wealth creation and access to capital in rural America, rural dimensions of nutrition policy, and/or exploration of urban-rural interdependence as a basis for policy framing. Objective 3: Continue and expand RUPRI's core analytical capacity. RUPRI will continue efforts to achieve greater synergy across the portfolio involving: Center for Applied Research & Environmental Systems (CARES) on geographic information systems and community issues management, Community Policy Analysis Center (CPAC) on econometric and systems modeling and social/economic impacts of rural investments, regional economic analysis (Center for Regional Competitiveness), program evaluation (Center for Rural Entrepreneurship), and spatial health analyses (Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis). Objective 4: Continue and expand RUPRI's communications and outreach to key constituencies. RUPRI will build on its efforts to reach out state capitols, public interest groups and trade associations, national and regional foundations, nonprofit intermediaries, and higher education, so as to better underpin RUPRI's capacity to inform the US Congress and Administration. Specifically, this will include: continued upgrading of website and other electronic media, production of materials on RUPRI's work for dissemination, continuing engagement in the Rural Assembly and the Coalition for Renewed Rural Development. Objective 5: Introduce and fully implement RUPRI's new governance arrangements. Specifically, this refers to the establishment of the National Advisory Board and its committees.
Project Methods
RUPRI has a set of core competencies both within its centers and programs and through its networks of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners across the country and internationally. These are: research - conducting, commissioning, and supporting timely policy- and practice-relevant research by universities, colleges, and institutes across the U.S. and internationally, and providing encouragement and assistance to young scholars interested in rural and regional policy; decision support tools - developing, adapting, and promoting tools that improve policymaking, such as data visualization, asset-mapping, and output measurement; policy analysis and engagement - providing independent analysis and framing of policy options, and direct advice to policymakers at the international, Federal, regional, state, and local levels on the impacts of policy options on rural people and places; dissemination and outreach - bringing disparate people and organizations together in safe environments to discuss challenges and opportunities and to forge options and solutions that benefit rural people and places; and disseminating information and ideas electronically, through publications, and in conferences, seminars, and meetings. The following are RUPRI's proposed activities. In the area of rural development: continuing policy analysis and development work with the Administration, Congress, and state governments, both responding to requests for assistance and helping to frame discussions on policy proposals that impact rural America; an expansion of SEBAS beyond USDA Rural Development's business and industry portfolio to include alternative energy investments; providing continuing organizational and programmatic support to the Coalition of State Rural Policy Centers, and maintaining strong cooperative relationships with national public interest groups; further strengthening ties with key international organizations with interests in rural and regional development; and preparing a program of engagement in policy analysis and development in areas such climate change and energy. In the area of regional competitiveness, RUPRI will work with the RUPRI Center for Regional Competitiveness in securing funding streams, building technical capacity, and completing a long-term development plan. In the area of entrepreneurship, RUPRI will work with the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in expanding the applied research, technical assistance and training activities of the Center, and helping the transition to a 501(c)(3) organization. In the area of health, RUPRI will work with the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis and RUPRI Rural Health Panel in providing input on the rural implications of upcoming Health Reform. In the area of human services, RUPRI will support the work of the recently-created RUPRI Human Services Panel in advancing the understanding of the rural differential of human services delivery and finance mechanisms. In the area of rural broadband, RUPRI will, possibly in conjunction with a re-convened RUPRI Rural Telecommunications panel, assess the rural implications of new Federal policies and investments in broadband.

Progress 08/15/09 to 08/14/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: RUPRI worked with USDA Rural Development on rural eligibility criteria for the implementation of 2008 Farm Bill. In a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development RUPRI provided technical assistance to map USDA investments against economic, social and demographic indicators. RUPRI collaborated on responses to the FCC on the National Broadband Plan with Benton Foundation, Center for Rural Strategies, University of Texas-Austin's Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute. Deborah Markley, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship testified before the House Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Rural Development, March 2009; Mark Drabenstott, RUPRI Center for Regional Competitiveness testified before the House Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research in June 2009. Charles Fluharty participated in the White House Office of Health Reform Stakeholder Discussion in May 2009. RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis developed analyses and published briefs on trends in Medicare enrollment, rural community pharmacies, and the impact of the recession on rates of uninsured in rural areas. RUPRI Rural Health Panel developed a brief on impacts of the proposed health care reform legislation on coverage rates, and gave briefings to Senate Rural Health Care Caucus and House Rural Health Care Coalition. It provided rural perspectives on Senate Finance Committee's policy options and House Tri-Committee Health Reform Discussion Draft. RUPRI was awarded a grant from the Ford Foundation's Wealth Creation in Rural Communities Initiative in which RUPRI and regional researchers from University of Missouri and Oregon State University examined rural-urban interdependence in Central Appalachia and the Pacific Northwest. RUPRI partnered with Aspen Institute on convenings around food systems, ecosystem services, and alternative energy. RUPRI is an active member of the National Rural Assembly's Steering Committee, and staff helped organize the Coalition of State Rural Policy Centers' annual session in Springdale, Utah and the State Agricultural and Rural Leaders (SARL) conference in San Diego. RUPRI continued to assist the Alliance of Rural Colleges (ARC), a cross-border partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges. Brian Dabson gave the keynote address at the annual North Carolina Rural Partners Forum in Raleigh NC, November 2009 and participated in workshops organized by RMIT University in Victoria, Australia, migration, entrepreneurship, and regionalism. Charles Fluharty gave keynote address to OECD Territorial Development Committee on regional governance, and also gave keynote addresses to the OECD's 7th Annual Rural Development Conference, Quebec, Canada in October 2009, and the OECD Symposium on Regional Policy: Innovation and Green Growth, The Regional Dimension, in Paris, France in December 2009. RUPRI National Advisory Board, comprising 29 national rural leaders was officially convened in April of 2009, in Washington, DC. PARTICIPANTS: The following were supported in part from the grant: Brian Dabson, Project PI, President & CEO; Charles W. Fluharty, Vice President; Deborah Markley, Ph.D., Managing Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship; Jocelyn Richgels, Associate Director, RUPRI National Policy Programs, and staff director, Rural Health and Human Services panels; Bobby Gierisch, Director, State Policy Programs, coordinator of the Coalition for State Rural Policy Centers; Kathleen Miller, RUPRI Program Director; Christopher Fulcher, Director, and Erin Barbaro, Assistant Director, Center for Applied Research & Environmental Systems, University of Missouri; Jennifer Jensen, Research Analyst, RUPRI Rural Futures Lab, Cornell University, NY; and Sally Coats, RUPRI Fiscal Officer and Office Manager. Other people critical to RUPRI's activities but not supported by the grant were: Thomas G. Johnson, Ph.D., Director of RUPRI Academic and Analytical Programs, Frank Miller Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Missouri; Keith J. Mueller, Ph.D., Gerhard Hartman Professor, Head of the Department of Health Management & Policy, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Chair of RUPRI Rural Health Panel; and Mario Gutierrez, Interim Chief Executive, Center for Connected Health Policy, Sacramento, CA, Chair, RUPRI Rural Human Services Panel. Collaborations included University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources and the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs; USDA Rural Development; Federal Office of Rural Health Policy; National Rural Assembly; National Association of Development Organizations; National Association of Counties; and National Rural Health Association. Important contributions were also made by members of the Rural Health and Human Services Panels: Andrew F. Coburn, Ph.D., Chair of Health Policy & Management Graduate Program, Director of Population Health and Health Policy, University of Southern Maine; Jennifer P. Lundblad, Ph.D., President and CEO, Stratus Health; A. Clinton MacKinney, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy & Management, University of Iowa; Timothy D. McBride, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean for Public Health, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Institute for Public Health, Washington University, St. Louis, MO; Sidney Watson, Ph.D., Professor of Law, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO; Kathleen Belanger, Associate Professor of Social Work, Stephen F. Austin State University; Vaughn Clark, Director of Community Development, Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Larry Goolsby, Director Legislative Affairs and Policy, American Public Human Services Association; Colleen Heflin, Associate Professor, Truman School of Public Affairs, University of Missouri; Jane Forrest Redfern, Rural Human Services Consultant, OH; Bruce Weber, Professor of Agriculture, Resource Economics, Oregon State University. 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. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
RUPRI continued its policy analysis and development work with the Administration, Congress, and state governments, both responding to requests for assistance and helping to frame discussions on policy proposals that impact rural America. RUPRI provided support for key Federal programs and initiatives with a focus on the impact of USDA Rural Development programs, the promotion of regional approaches to the long-term viability and vitality of rural America, the implications of different rural targeting definitions, and the facilitation of inter-departmental collaborations for rural regional innovation, nutrition and wellness, and food systems. RUPRI's policy analyses focused on rural broadband deployment and adoption, rural implications of climate change, and the exploration of urban-rural interdependence. RUPRI's analytical capacity was enhanced by collaborating with the Center for Applied Research & Environmental Systems (CARES) on geographic information systems and community issues management, Community Policy Analysis Center (CPAC) on econometric and systems modeling and social/economic impacts of rural investments, Center for Regional Competitiveness on regional economic analysis, Center for Rural Entrepreneurship on program evaluation, and Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis on spatial health analysis. RUPRI strengthened its ties with key international organizations with interests in rural and regional development, particularly the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the European Union, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA). Deborah Markley, Managing Director, RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship was awarded the Ted K. Bradshaw Outstanding Research Award by the Community Development Society International; and Keith Mueller, Director of the RUPRI Center and Chair of the Rural Health Panel was appointed by the Secretary for Health & Human Services to the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Health Care Research & Quality. At an OECD workshop on rural development policies, RUPRI's SEBAS system was recognized as a preeminent rural development assessment tool. RUPRI reinforced its network with rural leaders by establishing the National Advisory Board with senior representatives from Center for Rural Strategies, Colorado State University, Economic Research Service, German Marshall Fund of the US, Growth Energy, Iowa State University, Jobs for the Future, Llano Grande Center, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, Missouri Farm Bureau, Mountain Association of Community Economic Development, National Association of Development Organizations, National Congress of American Indians, National Farmers Union, National Rural Health Association, Nebraska Community Foundation, North Carolina Rural Center, Northeast Iowa Community College, Purdue University, Roadside Theater/Appalshop, Rural Action, Rural School and Community Trust, Stennis Institute of Government, Sustainable Northwest, University of Wisconsin Law School, University of Nebraska, University of Missouri, Virginia Community Capital, and Washington State University.

Publications

  • Dabson, B. (2009) A Snapshot of the Presidents Budget FY 2010: Whats In It For Rural America. RUPRI Briefing Paper.
  • Dabson, B. (2009) Regionalism, Assets, and Entrepreneurship: The Future of Rural Economies. In Looking Forward. Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities.
  • Dabson, B. (2009) Rural-Urban Interdependence in Central Appalachia. Discussion paper for Ford Foundation.
  • Drabenstott, M. (2009) Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research. Written Record, June 11.
  • Drabenstott, M. and Moore, S.(2009). Rural America in Deep Downturn. RUPRI Rural Economic Update from the RUPRI Center for Regional Competitiveness.
  • Drabenstott, M (2009). Southern Minnesotas Economic future: Findings, Strategic Framework, and Game Plan. Southern Minnesota Competitiveness Project.
  • Jensen, J.J (2009). Climate Change and Rural Communities in the U.S. RUPRI Briefing Paper
  • Markley, D.M (2009) Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops, and Foreign Agriculture. Written Record, March 31.
  • McBride, T. (2009). Rural Coverage Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act As Amended. RUPRI Rural Health Panel.
  • McBride, T. (2009). Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Covered Persons. RUPRI Rural Health Panel.
  • McLaughlin, M (2009). Rural Philanthropy, Partners, and Policy in the Northwest. Briefing Paper for the Northwest Area Foundation.
  • Miller, K.K. (2009). Overview of rural definitions and their implications. RRUPRI Policy Brief
  • Miller, K.K. (2009). The Importance of a Healthy Rural Economy. RUPRI Briefing Paper
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (2009). Maine Comprehensive Economic Development Evaluation 2008: A Report to the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (2009). Entrepreneurship Development in Rural America: Insights into Triple Bottom Line and Wealth Creation Impacts of Entrepreneurship Strategies.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) Rural Enrollment in Medicare Part D is Growing Slowly.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) Loss of Community Pharmacies since 2006: State Experiences.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) A Rural-Urban Comparison of a Building Blocks Approach to Covering the Uninsured.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) Impact of the Recession on Rural America: Rising Unemployment Leading to More Uninsured in 2009.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) Profile of Sole Community Pharmacists Prescription Sales and Overall Financial Position.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) Rural Enrollment in Medicare Advantage: Growth Slows in 2008.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) Workforce Issues among Sole Community Pharmacies.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) The Cost of Inaction to Rural Communities: The Urgent Need for Health Care Reform. Profiles of Three Rural Counties.
  • RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis (2009) Profile of Sole Community Pharmacists Prescription Sales and Overall Financial Position.
  • RUPRI Rural Health Panel (2009). Assuring Health Coverage for Rural People Through Health Reform.
  • RUPRI Rural Health Panel (2009) Commentary on Financing Comprehensive Health Care Reform: Proposed Health System Savings and Revenue Options from the Senate Finance Committee
  • RUPRI Rural Health Panel (2009) Commentary on Expanding Health Care Coverage: Proposals to Provide Affordable Coverage to All Americans from the Senate Finance Committee
  • RUPRI Rural Health Panel (2009) Commentary on Transforming the Health Care Delivery System: Proposals to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Health Care Costs from the Senate Finance Committee
  • RUPRI Rural Health Panel (2009) CMS Value Based Purchasing Program and Critical Access Hospitals.