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The Economic Status of Rural America in the Trump Era

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  • Goetz, Stephen
  • Partridge, Mark
  • Stephens, Heather

Abstract

To set the stage for future policies aimed at supporting economic prosperity in rural areas, we review the current economic conditions of rural America and the current literature. Rural America is often characterized as a uniform, distressed place where agriculture dominates. In fact, rural America is quite diverse with some regions doing well economically. In some areas, labor-saving technologies have reduced the workforce in many manufacturing and resource-dependent industries. However, integration with urban areas has weakened the economic divide between urban and some rural areas, while natural amenities have boosted the fortune of others. There is also evidence that homegrown enterprises can support growth even in the most remote, distressed regions. Policies to enhance growth should recognize the unique features of each place or region. Federal policies also need to strike a better balance between the farm sector and the much larger nonfarm rural economy that typically has been shortchanged; and such policies need to be rigorously evaluated.

Suggested Citation

  • Goetz, Stephen & Partridge, Mark & Stephens, Heather, 2017. "The Economic Status of Rural America in the Trump Era," MPRA Paper 77830, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:77830
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    2. Lael Brainard, 2017. "Why Opportunity and Inclusion Matter to America’s Economic Strength : a speech at the Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Conference, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, May 2," Speech 953, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
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    4. Lael Brainard, 2017. "Why Persistent Employment Disparities Matter for the Economy's Health : a speech at \"Disparities in the Labor Market: What Are We Missing?\" a research conference sponsored by the Board of ," Speech 970, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    5. Antonio Javier Prado-Domínguez & Fernando González-Laxe & Manuel Escourido-Calvo & Federico Martín-Bermúdez, 2021. "Initial Impact and Socioeconomic Compensation for the Closure of a Coal-Fired Power Plant in a Local Entity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Rural america; Trump; rural policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies
    • R1 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics

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