Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

See attached minutes.

Objective #1: To better understand the emerging opportunities and threats to the economic structure of nonmetropolitan communities arising from forces that change the size or structure of rural markets. We focus on electronic commerce, financial liberalization, and health care. The role of financial intermediaries in rural economic development was examined in order to determine why it may be harder for remote (rural) places to develop than it is for urban places. The argument has been made that, due to problems of asymmetric information, credit is supplied only to local borrowers. If it is, and there are fewer rural lenders, this implies that rural business access to capital will be lower, and rural interest rates will be higher. Researchers studied whether the emergence of e-finance may have been associated with a decline in brick-and-mortar offices, especially in rural areas. To begin, they investigated the simple correlation between the change in the number of bank offices and population change using decennial census population data and FDIC data on the number of bank offices per county in 1990 and 2000. It was found that, first, despite the emergence of e-finance, the number of bank offices per capita has increased over the decade from 5.7 bank offices per 10,000 people to 6.7 offices per 10,000. Second, although many rural Iowa counties lost population, all Iowa counties gained bank offices. Third, other than the lack of correlation with population decline, in general, the brick-and-mortar bank office growth is matching Iowa county population growth. In other words, banking location choice appears to continue to be strictly based on the location choices of people. The emergence of e-finance has had no negative effect on the access of rural people to banks. Researchers investigated the factors contributing to the decline of the South Carolina shrimp trawling industry and programs available to promote wild caught domestic shrimp. Personal interviews were conducted at all South Carolina shrimp docks and mail surveys were distributed to the owners of all boats registered to shrimpers in South Carolina. Research is focusing on the viability of niche marketing for South Carolina shrimpers as a means to increase prices and profits. Another study measures the effect communication and information technologies have had on agriculture and rural economies by analyzing the supply-side of the market for new technology (technology diffusion). The economy has been undergoing major structural changes during the last decade, in part due to new technology, laws, and regulations in the communications and information industry, also known as the telecommunications industry (CIT). The government has played a significant economic role in the ongoing structural changes in CIT and recent farm bills have included provisions for various CIT services including broadband delivery, telemedicine, distance learning, and telework programs. The research indicates that the telecommunication service market is functioning. Nonetheless, small communities and rural areas have less of an economic advantage than large urban communities when it comes to obtaining the full set of communication and information technology. Some argue that newer technology may yet overcome this perceived disadvantage. The current technology set, however, does not. The "brain drain" of young professionals is a major economic concern in many rural communities. A study in Pennsylvania sought to identify some of the reasons why returns to education differ across rural and urban areas and to measure these differences. A record of the proceedings containing the outcomes of a conference on bridging the digital divide was published. Researchers also worked closely with the state Hospital Association in conducting an economic impact analysis that will measure the impact of rural health care on the state economy. Further research done in conjunction with the Northeast Regional Center examined trends in migration. Results show that people moving into rural areas are coming from metro areas in and adjacent to the state. The study also measured the relative importance of amenities and job market characteristics on migration. While jobs tend to be push factors, amenities tend not to be pull factors. Another study identified factors that will enhance the ability of rural communities to compete in the global economic environment. Other research involved analyzing the influence of transportation infrastructure in connecting rural communities to larger urban markets. This study examined how various inputs including employment agglomeration in different industries affected the economic growth of Arkansas from 1986 to 1999. Research was initiated on a timely aspect of community health local fiscal crisis. Data was collected for all general-purpose local governmental units in New York counties, cities, towns and villages from the NYS Office of the Controllers annual fiscal reports. Compiled into a local government database, researchers have information on revenues, expenditures, debt, and capital outlays from 1977 to 2002 for most of these units. Indicators of fiscal condition have been constructed and preliminary analysis begun for a presentation to be made in March 2004. Research was conducted to examine the effect of changing demographics on the health care market. Due to the New Hampshire tax structure, there has been an influx of the affluent elderly. Hospitals there appear to be getting exclusive areas. Research will be conducted to study the relationship between these factors. Additional research seeks to identify and measure the effects of rural hospital investment in technology. Any investment in technology tends to have spillover effects, and research will determine how much spillover there is from hospital technology to the surrounding rural community. Upcoming research will identify the impacts of growth in e-commerce on rural areas. Research into how state and local health care policy affects the viability of rural health care markets is continuing. Two manuscripts that address core myths that have driven federal, state and local healthcare policy over the last two decades are currently being prepared. The first manuscript addresses the myth that rural regions can "grow their own" health care system and the second manuscript addresses the myth that telemedicine will solve the problems of spatial barriers to healthcare delivery in isolated rural communities. In both cases policy interventions have ignored structural issues related to rural healthcare markets. Rural health policy that does not account for the institutional market framework serves to undermine the capacity of policy interventions to meet targeted goals of improving access to, and quality of, healthcare services in rural regions. This research addresses weaknesses in policy design by more clearly articulating the institutional framework in which policy interventions alter the behavior of both consumers and providers in rural healthcare markets. Using focus group and key informant survey methods a general taxonomy of rural healthcare market institutions that support effective rural healthcare policy design is developed. One recently completed project measured the individual impact of health care on rural communities. Wisconsin researchers also teamed up with the Department of Workforce Development to bring counties together to talk about economic development. IMPLAN was used to identify targeted industries. In addition, a conference was held to discuss the effects of natural and built amenities. Another research project looks at the spillover of innovation in metropolitan areas to non-metropolitan areas. Researchers will measure what happens to activity levels in non-metropolitan areas with respect to metropolitan areas in terms of jobs, incomes, and patents. Researchers have formed partnerships with different West Virginia state agencies to study rural markets. Together with the State Venture Capital Fund, they are determining the degree to which venture capital is penetrating into rural areas. They are also cooperating with the West Virginia University Medical School to predict the effects of bringing broadband access into selected areas. The rural health care market in Mississippi has undergone some changes in recent years. People are leaving their own counties to seek health care elsewhere at an increasing rate. Researchers have partnered with local health networks to provide health information, develop new health care networks, and determine why people are choosing to travel farther from home to obtain health care. Objective #2: To determine the root causes of changes in rural labor markets, the employment and demographic growth that are likely to occur in the future, and the degree to which these factors are modified by workforce development policies. Research addressed the dynamics of persistent poverty in rural America, the impact of job growth on the rural working poor, outcomes of welfare reform in rural and urban areas, and hunger and food insecurity in Oregon. In collaboration with the RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center, OSU researchers documented rural poverty trends and are exploring the factors that led counties out of persistent poverty status during the 1990s. Working with researchers from University of Minnesota and Northwestern University, Oregon explored the effect of job growth on poor workers and of welfare reform on single mothers in rural and urban areas. A study of Oregon low-income workers suggests that local job growth leads to higher earnings and more employment for the working poor. The findings also suggest, however, that local job growth has a weaker effect on earnings and employment of the working poor in rural areas. Results from a study using a national sample of households suggest that, holding demographics constant, changes in welfare and social policy during the 1990s contributed to the employment increases but not to poverty reduction for both rural and urban single mothers. They also suggest that differences between urban and rural single mothers in age, race, and education resulted in the policy changes having less effect on rural single mother work and poverty. Researchers are also working to determine the cause of high rates of hunger in Oregon. Mississippi is developing a health information program centered on the economic importance of health care. The first part of the process includes: (1) identification of available health care providers in the study region; (2) surveys of household and providers surveys to assess the demographic, economic, and behavioral aspects of health care; and (3) traditional economic impact analysis of the health care sector. The second part of the process involves facilitating the creation of local partnerships and networks, and helping with leadership development and long-term strategic planning to improve health in the study area. Another goal has been to explore commuting in the context of health care. This has been accomplished by development and validation of entropy-based models of county-to-county worker flows followed by development of a gravity model for health commuting. The results, presented at the 43rd Annual meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association, confirm the hypothesis that people seek health care in the county where they work. Another result is that it has motivated further investigation into the rationale behind why people commute for health care. It has also led to interest in identifying hospital and other health care provider trade areas. Data from the 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census (Journey-to-Work data), Regional Economic Information System, and Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development was merged to create a county-level database on employment, commuting and labor force in Minnesota. The data are being used to estimate a labor market model based on the model developed by the North Carolina researchers involved in this multi-state project. Estimation results suggest that local labor markets adjust to labor demand shocks through a combination of changes to in-commuting and out-commuting, labor force participation, and unemployment. Initial estimation has been completed and further model testing and sensitivity results will be conducted. In another study, analysis of administrative data on parents receiving childcare assistance revealed substantially different employment patterns in rural versus urban Minnesota. To a large extent, these variations reflect differences in rural and urban labor markets. The jobs held by parents receiving child care assistance in Minnesota are concentrated in four industries: Health care and social assistance, retail trade, accommodation and food services, and the administrative and support services sector. The jobs held by these parents are concentrated in industries that pay lower average wages (to the total workforce) and have high job vacancy rates. Research on economic and demographic changes in rural communities was extended by collecting interview and survey data from three rural North Dakota communities that had experienced economic development stemming from either manufacturing or exported services facilities as well as for two communities that had not experienced major new development projects during the 1990s. The latter communities served as a control group. Improved job opportunities and enhanced incomes were generally seen as major positive effects of each of the new economic development initiatives. Further, aside from some management and engineering positions, most of the plant jobs appeared to represent employment opportunities for area workers rather than being taken primarily by in-migrants. Residents' incomes were enhanced both by the plants' jobs and payroll (which often represented second incomes for area households) and by increased incomes for area farmers (in the case of agricultural processing facilities). Because persons already living in the area took most of the plant jobs, the new plants did not lead to substantial in-migration or major population growth in the host communities. Rather, a reoccurring comment by local leaders was that the plant in their community had stabilized the local economy and population. Comparison of population trends in the development and control communities supports the perception of local informants that the economic development initiatives served to stabilize local populations. Research continues on the role of education and labor force quality on rural economic development. Preliminary findings indicate that local school quality and local labor force quality are positively related. Local labor force quality (measured by percent of adults with some college) was positively related to county per capita income and employment growth. However, the impact of education levels on county per capita was stronger in metro than nonmetro counties. Research findings indicate that rural areas must increase the demand for college-educated workers to benefit greatly from increases in the labor force quality. Other research focused on the effects of in-migration on rural labor markets. In-migration of labor to rural areas to work in meat and poultry processing plants is often substantial. By shifting the local labor supply function to the right, in-migration may be associated with lower real wages in these industries. The dramatic decline in real wages in both rural and urban counties in meat packing and other meat processing since 1980 suggests that these jobs will not generate large increases in rural per capita incomes. However, in-migrants to rural areas should help sustain local trade and service establishments in rural counties of states that have experienced population losses over the last decade. If environmental and social concerns associated with large-scale processors can be adequately addressed, large-scale meat packing plants seem to offer an excellent opportunity for sustained employment growth - albeit in fewer and fewer rural communities. Focus group meetings were conducted with Michigan dairy farmers, greenhouse and nursery producers, and landscapers to discuss labor related risks. The focus group meetings were able to capture the diversity in both industries relative to size, technologies utilized, number of employees, and nature of the business (diversified versus specialized). There are significant differences between dairy farmers and green industry managers in how they perceive risks with respect to personnel management. Currently labor supply is not considered a major problem by the discussion participants. Due to the high level of unemployment and the influx of immigrant labor of Hispanic descent, managers have been able to hire suitable employees for the last two years. However, the long-term viability of this labor supply is risk prone with respect to immigration provisions and legal eligibility of individuals for employment in the U.S. Based upon the findings in the focus group discussions an interview guide for in depth assessment of risks and strategies to mediate risk was developed. The effect of the tourism industry on local economies is the focus of another study. Few tourism analysts and recreation managers have formal training in regional economic methods and most are not familiar with input-output models or multipliers. As is the case in New Hampshire, the state purchased generic input/output model from the Bureau of Economic Development is highly restrictive and is not an appropriate means for looking at sub-state level multipliers as it reports one multiplier for the entire state. Regional tourism multipliers for the state of New Hampshire were estimated using the following weighted sectors as tourism industry: Lodging, Eating and Drinking, Recreation and Amusement, Retail Trade, and Transportation and Services. As expected, the regional output multipliers were smaller, ranging from 1.45 for Merrimack Valley to 1.33 for Great North Woods. This can be explained by the leakages from the regions to the State. On the other hand, the employment multipliers exceeded the State multiplier in all but one case. This indicates that employment in the tourism industry is localized. It is also related to the population base. Seasonal multipliers are still in the investigative stage and will be based on an expanded data set. Regarding rural labor and the structure of agriculture industry, efforts this year consisted of analyzing 50 years of trends in farms and farmland in the continental United States. Using counties as the unit, data was collected on key variables from the Ag Censuses 1949-1997. Confirming the general trend of decreasing number of farms and farmland during the 50 years, the focus of this particular effort was on comparing these processes between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Using a six-category typology for metro to nonmetro situations, it was found that indeed the amount of loss of farms and farmland was significantly greater in the most metropolitan counties with a linear relationship of less decline to the category of non-metropolitan, non-adjacent. Other significant factors explaining differential farm loss included county location (in 10 Census divisions), population (particularly urban) growth and the initial status (as of 1949) in terms of number of farms, acres of farmland, size of farms. This research was presented at a USDA-ERS briefing conference in January 2004, with subsequent work to become a chapter in a forthcoming book. One study resulted in the development of a wage index method. Objective #3: To understand the effects of public policy on rural areas and rural industries. A workbook was completed to assist users of Ó DIAMATR, a software program that estimates the impact of new residential development on local government budgets. The workbook, "Preparing to use Ó DIAMATR: A Supplement to the Ó DIAMATR User Manual," guides a user in collecting data for use with the software and describes the program's limitations. The workbook stresses that, while Ó DIAMATR can be used as part of a community's comprehensive planning process, it should not substitute for a comprehensive land-use plan. In addition, a short paper was completed for extension educators that answers questions about the effects of state tax-free zones on economic development. An NRI-funded study examined a broad set of previously ignored policy-relevant factors that can affect poverty levels in rural areas, including self-employment, political competition and so-called "big-box" retailers. This is being expanded to also consider the effects of NAFTA and the Welfare Reform Act. Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Missouri have been collaborating for over 5 years on estimating the impacts of retirees on rural areas. As the project draws to a close, the impacts of it are starting to be seen. Researchers in Texas and Missouri finished a project estimating the economic and fiscal impacts of an in-land spaceport in West Texas. Work on state and local budgets and taxation continues. A Missouri legislator requested information on how the property tax is implemented in other states. Using the NE-1011 listserv, information was gathered for 15 states. The information was summarized and passed to the legislator. It was also re-distributed to the listserv. Missouri researchers are also analyzing transportation policy in the Midwest in order to determine how policy can better harmonize the needs for greater safety, increased access, and economic development. They have also partnered with the U.S.D.A. Economic Research Service to study the impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on rural communities. The potential impacts of rural entrepreneurship policy and state policy to use innovation at universities for rural job creation are being assessed, and "Rural Entrepreneurship Policy Education for Lawmakers" will be presented in St. Louis. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a long-term cropland retirement program designed to achieve both agricultural supply control and conservation objectives. North Dakota landowners have participated extensively in the CRP; over the past few years, the state's CRP acreage has fluctuated between 3.1 and 3.3 million acres. While the effects of the CRP on agriculture are well-understood, economic assessments of the market value of conservation benefits from the program accruing to rural economies remains largely undocumented. One of the conservation benefits of the program is wildlife habitat, which has bolstered upland bird, waterfowl, and big game populations and contributed to increased consumptive and nonconsumptive wildlife based recreation. A recent study addressed the net economic effects of decreased agricultural activity and increased recreational activity associated with the CRP in six rural areas of North Dakota from 1996 through 2000. The (negative) effects of the CRP on agricultural revenues were based on the level of economic activity that would have occurred in the absence of the program. The net change in revenues from CRP land returning to agricultural production in the six study areas was estimated at $50.2 million annually or $37 per CRP-acre in the study areas. Additional recreational (hunting) revenues in the study areas were estimated at $12.8 million annually or $9.45 per CRP-acre (i.e., 26 percent of the agricultural losses). The net economic effect of the CRP (comparing losses of agricultural revenues and gains in recreational expenditures) indicated that several areas of the state are not as economically burdened by the CRP as previous research has suggested. 2003 was the initial year of a five-year project in New York that contributes to a larger multi-state research effort to understand changes in rural communities, rural labor markets, and the impacts of policy on rural areas. Funding for the NY Station portion of this study was received late in the cycle, April 2003, and this hindered the extent of progress initially envisioned for year one. Nevertheless, while waiting for funding, research was conducted to address the broadest of policy issues framing the near future of rural communities and workersthe upcoming elections and the anticipated relative benefits to rural areas in which political parties and candidates lease office space to support their campaigns. Using vote outcomes (Republican/Democrat) as the outcome variable for the last 6 presidential election periods, it was shown that the size of farm population in a county was a significant predictor, net of other influences, on the vote outcome (Republican or Democrat). Looking at the outcome by county since 1980 there was a remarkable consistency across elections, particularly in the mid-West and Mountain states. This paper was presented to the combined American Association of Agricultural Economist/Rural Sociological Society annual meeting in July 2003. Subsequently, a follow-up effort to identify and characterize "hard core" local areas of persistent voting preferences across the coterminous US was finished and presented to a combined group of GIS practitioners and senior staff of NYS Assemblymen and Senators. Overviews done of the fiscal condition of states conclude that budget cuts will dominate new tax initiatives. This leaves little hope for added transfers from federal and state governments to rural county governments. How will rural governments, with limited property tax bases and with added demands for services, respond to mandates to improve schools with little new outside aid? It will probably be done by cutting services and programs below levels that are desired if interjurisdictional spillovers are recognized and state/federal transfers to rural governments are made to reduce fiscal burdens on rural counties. Other research is investigating the effects of education and school quality on rural labor markets. Current labor markets are compared with indicators of school quality from 20 years ago in order to better understand the long-term role of a quality education in developing a rural labor force. Research is also being done to determine how to structure a water quality/pollution trading market. Research focused on the potential effects of a "Taxpayers Bill of Rights" which would limit increases in state government expenditures with respect to inflation and population growth. The economic impact of energy conservation programs is also being examined as a development strategy at the local level. In many rural areas there are communities with high levels of natural amenities and large amounts of public land. One project studies how such communities can make the transition from a natural resources-based economy to a tourism/retirement/second home-based economy. Researchers there are also examining how the tourism and amenity market affects the local land market and economic development. Objective #4: To identify community characteristics associated with viable and healthy rural communities and investigate policy alternatives to enhance these characteristics. Research addressed the effect of farm-neighbor interactions on farm profitability and on land use conversion. With the encouragement of the Oregon Farm Bureau Land Use Committee, OSU researchers interviewed farmers in an urbanizing county to try to estimate the effect of farm-neighbor interactions (equipment sharing , for example) and local availability of farm supply and processing firms on the profitability of farming. Farmer responses suggested that converting agricultural land increased costs of agricultural production in the aggregate about $15 for each acre converted to nonfarm use. Using this estimate, researchers created a dynamic simulation model that simulated the feedback effects of additional farm costs from conversion on the rate of farmland conversion in the county. Additional research is being done with five objectives in mind: (1) to develop a northeastern Nevada five-county study area dynamic computable general equilibrium model to estimate impacts of a 1.6 million acre rangeland fire, (2) to develop fiscal impact model for the state of Nevada employing cross-sectional and time-series data, (3)to develop input-output procedures to estimate county and sub-county economic impacts of the local health care sector, (4) to develop procedures for targeted rural economic development, and (5) to develop a count data model for estimating probability of manufacturing sector firm number for the Mountain States of the United States. One research area developed a dynamic computable general equilibrium model for a 1.6 million acre rangeland fire covering five rural Northeastern Nevada counties. Labor was split into agricultural and non-agricultural labor for the analysis. The second area of research has initiated cross-sectional time-series procedures to estimate a fiscal impact model for the state of Nevada. Results have shown that cross-sectional time-series data and procedures can be used for county fiscal models for the state of Nevada. Third, county and sub-county inter-industry models have been developed to estimate economic impacts of the local health care sector or county and sub-county economics. Fourth, procedures have been developed to complete industrial targeting. An industrial location model for the intermountain west is being developed to estimate probabilities of industrial sector location in a specific intermountain west county. Investigation of the efficiency of public schools in Arkansas provided insight into whether the state should consolidate its smaller schools. The determinants of educational achievement were analyzed as well. This study has policy implications for the state and regional leaders and educational administrators as resources are allocated to improve the level of human capital. The effect of federal fisheries policy is the subject of another study. Researchers are analyzing the spatial distribution of the economic impact of the fisheries. This will allow policy makers to see how much of this money remains in coastal counties. They are also studying the potential economic impacts of grants to produce and market biodiesel and other biofuel substitutes for petroleum-based fuels.

Barkley, David. and Mark S. Henry. 2003. "Does Rural School Quality Contribute to Local Labor Force Quality?" 50th Meetings of the Regional Science Association International. Philadelphia. Nov 19-21. (Also Research Report 03-2004-01, Regional Economic Development Research Laboratory, Clemson University, Clemson, SC) Bangsund, Dean A., Nancy M. Hodur, and F. Larry Leistritz. 2004. "Agricultural and Recreational Impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program in North Dakota," Journal of Environmental Management (in press) Borden, Buddy and Robert R. Fletcher. "Economic Contribution of Nevada's Green Industry Operations on the State of Nevada, 2002." September 2003, UCED 2003/04-13. Borden, George W., Robert R. Fletcher, Jim Lopez, and Robin Grumbles. "Water Based User Profile and Estimated Economic Contributions to the Laughlin and Bullhead City Regional Economy." May 2003, UCED 2003/04-02. Bowman, S., E. Schuster and B. Weber, "Poverty and Food Assistance in Oregon", EM 8842-E, Oregon State University Extension Service, November 2003 http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/html/EM/EM8842-E/allcounties.pdf Cooke, Steven, "Wage and Industry Effects in U.S. Regional Incomes; 1840 to 1987." Journal of Economic History 63, no. 4(2003): 1131-1146. Davis, Elizabeth E., Laura S. Connolly and Bruce A. Weber, "Local Labor Market Conditions and the Jobless Poor: How Much Does Local Job Growth Help in Rural Areas?" Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 28(3):503-518, December 2003 Davis, Elizabeth E., and Bruce A. Weber, "How Much Does Local Job Growth Improve Employment Outcomes of the Rural Working Poor?" Review of Regional Studies, 32(2): 255-274, Fall 2002 (published in 2003) DeVuyst, Cheryl S., F. Larry Leistritz, and Angela Schepp. 2003. "Economic Development Initiatives in Rural North Dakota Communities: Socioeconomic Impacts." AAE Rpt. No. 512. Fargo: NDSU, Dept. of Agr. & Applied Economics. Edwards, Mark, and Bruce Weber, "Food Insecurity and Hunger in Oregon: A New Look", Working Paper No. AREc 03-104, Corvallis OR: Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Oregon State University, November 2003 http://arec.oregonstate.edu/ruralstudies/hunger.pdf Fadali, Elizabeth, John Nolan, and Thomas R. Harris. "Nevada Emergency Medical Survey Results." June 2003, UCED 2003/04-03. Fadali, Elizabeth, Thomas R. Harris, and John Packham. "Gabbs Health Care Survey Report." August 2003, UCED 2003/04-04. Fadali, Elizabeth, John Nolan, and Thomas R. Harris. "Emergency Medical Services Student Phone Survey Results." September 2003, UCED 2003/04-28. Fawson, C., Roberta Herzberg, Jeremy Kidd and Scott Findley. "Market Transition and Long-Term Viability of Utahs Rural Healthcare Network." Utah State University Community Research Initiative Report, June 2003. Francis, Joe and David Kay, 2003. "Measuring Local Governmental Fiscal Stress." New York State Sociological Association. Siena College. Loudonville, NY. Oct. 17-18, 2003. Francis, J., A. Lembo, and Z. Ross. "A Spatial Approach to Analysis of Election Results." Paper presented at the Joint Meeting of the American Agricultural Economics Association and the Rural Sociological Society, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. July 27-30, 2003 Francis, Joe, Art Lembo and Zev Ross, 2003. "Visualization and Modeling Spheres of Influence: Enclaves of Contrary Voting Patterns in Presidential Elections 1980-2000." New York State Geographic Information Systems Conference. Albany, NY. Oct. 1-2, 2003 Goetz, Stephan J., February 2003, RDP No. 16, "Critical Development Issues in Rural Economies." Paper presented at the Agricultural Outlook Forum 2003, February 20, Arlington, VA. 10 pp. http://www.cas.nercrd.psu.edu/Publications/RDPAPERS/rdp16.pdf Goetz, Stephan J., April 2003, RDP No. 17, "Proprietor Employment-Dependent Counties." Paper presented at ERSs Measuring Rural Diversity Conference, November 21-22, 2002, Washington, DC. 14 pp. http://www.cas.nercrd.psu.edu/Publications/RDPAPERS/rdp17.pdf Goetz, Stephan J. and Anil Rupasingha, "The Returns on Higher Education: Estimates for the 48 Contiguous States," Economic Development Quarterly 17, 4 (Nov. 2003): 337-51. Goetz, Stephan J. and Bill Shuffstall, September 2003, RDP No. 20, "Proceedings of the 2003 Northeast Regional Workshop on Bridging the Digital Divide." Summary proceedings of a workshop held May 14-15, 2003, at Johnston Commons, The Pennsylvania State Univ., and University Park, PA. 22 pp. http://www.cas.nercrd.psu.edu/Publications/RDPAPERS/rdp20.pdf Harris, Thomas R., Chang K. Seung, Tim Darden, and William Riggs. "Rangeland Fires in Northern Nevada: An Application of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling." Western Forum, Vol. 1, No. 2 (December 2002): 3-10. Henry, Mark. 2003. "Economic and Sociological Impacts of Changes in Agricultural Contracts on Rural Communities." Truth or Consequences: The Future of Contracts in Agriculture. Kansas City, Mo. September 4-5. Henry, Mark S. 2003. "Change in the Industrial Organization of Meat Processing in the U.S.: Are Small Plants Best For Rural Growth?" Paper presented at the International Conference: "Small Firms Strategy for Innovation and Regional Problems" Faro, Portugal. 4 and 5, December 2003. Henry, Mark S., David Barkley and Haizhen Li, 2003. "Fiscal Trends: Implications for the Rural South." Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 55(2):237-250. Henry, Mark S., David Barkley and Haizhen Li, 2003. "Education and Nonmetropolitan Income Growth in the South" Southern Perspectives. 6:3: 3-5. Summer. Southern Rural Development Center. Henry, Mark S., Mark Drabenstott, and Kristin Mitchell. 2003. "Meat Processing in Rural America: Economic Powerhouse or Problem?" Chapter 6 Pages 55-68. Communities of Work : Rural Restructuring in Local and Global Contexts. Edited by William W. Falk. Michael D. Schulman, and Ann R. Tickamyer. Athens: Ohio University Press. Henry, Mark S. and Willis Lewis. 2003. "Where the Jobs Are: Rural Welfare Caseloads and Metropolitan Area Growth in South Carolina" Selected Paper. Annual Meetings of the Rural Sociology Society, Montreal. July 27-30. Henry, Mark S., Haizhen Li and David Barkley. 2003. "Rural School Expenditures, Local Demographics and Tiebout Sorting in South Carolina." Annual Meetings of the Rural Sociology Society. Montreal July 27-30. Henry, Mark S., Haizhen Li and David Barkley. 2003. Human Capital and Rural Growth in the Southern United States: 1970-2000. 50th Meetings of the Regional Science Association International. Philadelphia, Nov 19-21. Jefferys, Marcie and Davis, Elizabeth E. "Working in Minnesota: Parents Employment and Earnings in the Child Care Assistance Program," Minnesota Child Care Policy Research Partnership, January 2004. Kalambokidis, Laura. "The Impact of Tax-Free Zones on Economic Development." Minnesota Public Finance Note #2003-01. April 2, 2003. Leistritz, F. Larry, Dean A. Bangsund, and Nancy M. Hodur. 2003. "Agricultural and Recreational Impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program in Rural North Dakota," paper presented at 42nd Annual Meeting of Western Regional Science Association, Tucson, AZ, Feb. 26-March 1. Miller, Kathleen K, Mindy S. Crandall, and Bruce A. Weber, "Persistent Poverty and Place: How Do Persistent Poverty and Poverty Dynamics Vary Across the Rural-Urban Continuum?" paper presented at the Measuring Rural Diversity Conference sponsored by the Economic Research Service, Washington DC November 21-22, 2002. (41 pages) (Proceedings website created in 2003) http://srdc.msstate.edu/measuring/miller.pdf Miller, Kathleen K and Bruce A. Weber, "Persistent Poverty and Place: How Do Persistent Poverty Dynamics and Demographics Vary Across the Rural-Urban Continuum" Measuring Rural Diversity Policy Series, Volume 1, Issue No.1, Southern Rural Development Center, November 2003. (7 pp.) http://srdc.msstate.edu/measuring/series/miller_weber.pdf Miller, Kathleen K. and Bruce A. Weber, "Persistent Poverty Across the Rural-Urban Continuum" RPRC Working Paper No. 03-01, Columbia MO and Corvallis OR: RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center, July 2003.(30 pp) http://www.rupri.org/rprc/RPRC_Working_Paper_03-01.pdf Morris, Douglas E., and Joshua B. Wiersma, "Regional and Seasonal Variations in Economic Multipliers of the Tourism Sector in New Hampshire," presented at Southern Regional Science Association meeting, New Orleans, March 2004. Rainey, Daniel V. and Olga Murova. 2003. 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