Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MINNESOTA
(N/A)
ST PAUL,MN 55108
Performing Department
Design, Housing & Apparel
Non Technical Summary
The demographic analysis undertaken by the multistate W4001 research team provides information about the social and economic context within which public policy operates in our changing rural society. The project's primary goal continues to be the production of policy-relevant research that informs users about current demographic trends and their implications for rural policy. The team aims for broad readership among policy-makers, agency and organizational staff, social science researchers, students, and interested citizens. While the work does not evaluate the operation of particular public policies or practices, it does provide essential contextual information that helps policy-makers decide where public intervention is most needed and the alternative forms such actions might take. The objective of the project is to examine the causes and consequences of recent rural demographic change and the demographic processes, such as migration and relocation, which account for changing patterns of population redistribution throughout the United States. Demographic change in rural America is far from monolithic. The interplay between migration and natural increase influences contemporary rural population redistribution trends and are basic to the social, economic, and environmental forces that both influence demographic change and are impacted by such population changes (Johnson and Cromartie 2006).Rural people, places, and institutions face multiple interrelated enduring and emerging challenges to prosperity and wellbeing. Differences in employment, income and poverty, educational attainment, family structure, health and mortality and access to essential amenities and services are driven by complex interactions between economic and political structures human capital and relative vulnerabilities of residents. Immigration, retirement and natural amenity migration can have positive economic, social and civic impacts on rural communities (Glasgow and Brown 2008; Nelson et al. 2014). But health and other services are often unavailable (Sanders et al. 2016; Thiede et al 2016; Winker and Johnson 2016). Rural residents already face affordable housing shortages, a reality that is likely to intensify with retirement and amenity migration and the housing demands of domestic energy workers (MacTavis et al. 2014). Research is needed on the respective roles of these new types of rural population change on prosperity, wellbeing, and resource inequalities between rural communities.Dr. Ziebarth will contribute her research expertise in the area of rural housing and community development to the project. Focusing on two of the multistate research project objectives she will participate in Objective 1. Document nonmetropolitan population change, examine the dynamics of these changes and investigate their social, economic, and environmental causes and consequences as well as Objective 2. Describe the interrelationships between contemporary rural population change and inequality, prosperity, and wellbeing of rural people, places and institutions.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Document nonmetropolitan population change, examine the dynamics of these changes and investigate their social, economic, and environmental causes and consequences.
Describe the interrelationships between contemporary rural population change and inequality, prosperity, and well-being of rural people, places and institutions.
Project Methods
Most of the work will be at the county level of analysis and will employ nonmetropolitan counties as a proxy for rural and small town areas. Statistical analysis of quantitative data will be combined with comparative case studies. Data sources include the American Housing Survey, Decennial Census, and American Community Survey. Qualitative data collection will be used to further inform and elaborate the information obtained from the aggregate level demographic analysis. Qualitative methods are expected to include in-depth interviews, case studies, and use of publically available information such as newspaper articles.