What are the Necessary Ingredients to Achieve Rural Economic Development?

Paul Lasley, Professor and Chair

Department of Sociology

Iowa State University

What are the barriers to achieve rural economic development?

Establishing the Need for Rural Economic Development? Defining the need

Changes in the population Income statistics Employment opportunities Workforce characteristics Standard of living indices Quality of life measures

What is development? Process to raise the level of living Improvements in productivity or efficiency Enlarging the opportunity structure Economic Growth

What is rural economic development? Efforts to improve the well-being of rural

people through comprehensive programs to utilize natural and human resources more effectively

What is rural economic development? Economists tend to emphasize increased

productivity

Sociologists emphasize improved conditions of living and the expansion of opportunities for self-realization

Who are the key stakeholders in rural development that can make things happen?

Public Agencies Federal State Local

Key stakeholders (continued) Private-public groups Chamber of Commerce Local economic developers Industrial development

Community Development

MainstreetDevelopment

Human Development

Agricultural Development

Economic Development

Industrial Development

Small BusinessDevelopment

DEVELOPMENTACTIVITIES

How to get these groups together How to build a cohesive network among

the various stakeholders Strategies to achieve collaboration and

cooperation Building networks

The presence of organized groups is necessary but not sufficient Must be some agreement on the need Commitment to working together Collaboration doesn’t just happen There must be leadership as well as

“followership”

What types of appeals will cause people to work together?

Threats---If we don’t do something, then….

Providing hope for a better tomorrow Need to provide opportunities

Traits of successful communities Commitment Persistence Higher levels of social capital Willingness to seek outside assistance Inclusiveness Strong cultural identity

Change is difficult to accept? Why is change difficult? “We love progress, but hate change” Too often change has meant losses to rural

places Change is never neutral in its impacts; it

causes gains for some and losses for others.

People generally profess their desire for progress and yet hate change

WHY? In many cases change has not meant gain and too often change has meant loss

Need to tie development to creating opportunities for the future

Investments today are for those who follow us

Is there a diminished sense of deferred gratification? Expectations for immediate payoff Judgments are too often made by standards

of “presentism”

Scarcity of opportunities and resources creates competition rather than cooperation Opportunities for everyone The future is in large part determined

by our actions today—tomorrow will reflect what we do today…

Brokering Solutions Among StakeholdersBrokering Solutions Among Stakeholders

ComprehensiveComprehensiveRural Rural

DevelopmentDevelopment

Local Government

Federal Partners

Community Leaders

Local Lenders

Extension

Citizens

IndustrialDevelopers

State Agencies

Local Schools

Chamber of

Commerce

TrustTrust

Trust is earned through: Open and honest communication Access to information Hearing all voices Encouraging diversity Dependability

““People tend to support decisions People tend to support decisions that they help make”that they help make”

Work for Consensus Building Through: Understanding Trust Cooperation