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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Economics and the economy

Integrating Economic Resilience in Performance-Based Transportation Planning
Details a report on community transportation planning based on economic performance. Discusses measures to factor in the demands of local economies and community wealth creation into transportation planning. Features several rural examples.
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
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Golden Rules: Evaluating Retiree-Based Economic Development in Georgia
Analysis of demographic and economic trends in Georgia targeting recruitment of retirees to rural areas. Offers recommendations for retiree-based economic development, identifies 15 counties with high retiree attraction values, and describes the economic impacts of retirees.
Author(s): Jeffrey M. Humphreys, Beata D. Kochut
Citation: Economic Development Journal, 17(2), 53-58
Date: 2018
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The Appalachia Initiative: A Bipartisan Approach for the 21st Century
Reports on the current challenges facing Appalachia. Breaks down data by education and workforce, entrepreneurism and job creation, energy and infrastructure, and rural health. Looks specifically at mortality rates, obesity and diabetes prevalence, and drug overdose death rates.
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center
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Greater Minnesota: Refined & Revisited
Provides information on the composition of Minnesota's geography by urban, large town, small town, and rural based on population and proximity to other communities. Examines economics, demographics, and general well-being of the different population areas with explanation of how they are defined. Includes county-level maps breaking down demographic variables by population size as well as data tables that show population changes by county.
Date: 01/2017
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota State Demographic Center
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Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Impacts
Highlights programs in 6 rural counties to improve the health and well-being of children and families supported by the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative. Programs included the expansion of the early childhood care and education program, promotion of physical activity through the development of walking and biking routes, and improved accessibility to local foods and support for the local economy.
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organizations: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Luther College, Northeast Iowa Community College
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Involuntary Part-Time Employment: A Slow and Uneven Economic Recovery
Examines trends in involuntary part-time employment from 2000 through 2015. Includes data for rural men and rural women, compared to the overall population. Also compares rural and urban involuntary part-time work for those below the poverty line before, during, and after the recession.
Author(s): Rebecca Glauber
Date: 2017
Sponsoring organization: Carsey School of Public Policy
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Using the ERS County Economic Types To Explore Demographic and Economic Trends in Rural Areas
Discusses six types of counties based on economic industry dependence: farming, mining, manufacturing, federal/state government, recreation, and nonspecialized counties. Describes how these county types can be used to better understand variation in demographic and economic trends in rural areas. Uses the county economic types to examine population, income, and poverty trends.
Author(s): Lorin Kusmin
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 12/2016
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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How the Great Recession Changed U.S. Migration Patterns
Examines changes in county-level net migration due to the recession and housing crisis. Compares net migration during the pre-recession years, 2004-2007, to those during the recession, 2007-2010. Also compares the recession period to the post-recession years, 2010-2014. Includes maps showing migration trends by county. Figure 4 looks at migration by metro/non-metro status. Part of the publication series Population Trends in Post-Recession Rural America.
Author(s): Kenneth M. Johnson, Katherine J. Curtis, David Egan-Robertson
Date: 05/2016
Sponsoring organization: Applied Population Laboratory
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The Economic Impact of Rural Broadband
Provides an estimate of the direct and indirect economic activities of the rural broadband industry on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and their effect on other rural industries, including healthcare.
Date: 04/2016
Sponsoring organization: Hudson Institute
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The Economics of Local Food Systems: A Toolkit to Guide Community Discussions, Assessments and Choices
Seven research modules guiding food system planning, economic assessment, and analysis of data. Explains that local food production promotes rural economic revitalization and supports built capital invested in rural communities, and notes the importance of recognizing differences in rural and urban food issues.
Author(s): Dawn Thilmany McFadden, David Conner, Steven Deller, et al.
Date: 03/2016
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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