The twentieth century was one of profound transformation in rural America. Demographic shifts and economic restructuring have conspired to alter dramatically the lives of rural people and their communities. Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century defines these changes and interprets their implications for the future of rural America. The volume follows in the tradition of "decennial volumes" co-edited by presidents of the Rural Sociological Society and published in the Society's Rural Studies Series. Essays have been specially commissioned to examine key aspects of public policy relevant to rural America in the new century. Contributors include:Lionel Beaulieu, Alessandro Bonnano, David Brown, Ralph Brown, Frederick Buttel, Ted Bradshaw, Douglas Constance, Steve Daniels, Lynn England, William Falk, Cornelia Flora, Jan Flora, Glenn Fuguitt, Nina Glasgow, Leland Glenna, Angela Gonzales, Gary Green, Rosalind Harris, Tom Hirschl, Douglas Jackson-Smith, Leif Jensen, Ken Johnson, Richard Krannich, Daniel Lichter, Linda Lobao, Al Luloff, Tom Lyson, Kate MacTavish, David McGranahan, Diane McLaughlin, Philip McMichael, Lois Wright Morton, Domenico Parisi, Peggy Petrzelka, Kenneth Pigg, Rogelio Saenz, Sonya Salamon, Jeff Sharp, Curtis Stofferahn, Louis Swanson, Ann Tickameyer, Leanne Tigges, Cruz Torres, Mildred Warner, Ronald Wimberley, Dreamal Worthen, and Julie Zimmerman.

This book addresses itself to mobilisation and involvement of rural people in development projects. It describes an imperfect but, nonetheless, exciting and thought-provoking exercise that drew social science researchers and students from four public universities in Kenya into an experiment in participatory research, community education and development in two locations. The experiment was grounded on the assumptions that the people of Kenya are a primary resource and that given proper roles and contribution of planners, researchers and programme implementers, self-sustainable development can become a reality. The contributors of this book have focused on the potential of the university to facilitate participation of the people in development. They have given specific suggestions on how this might be accomplished.

A good read for policy makers, academicians and students of economics. Journal of Social and Economic Development Rural areas face numerous challenges in building a high-wage, high-skilled workforce. In response to these obstacles, many regions have established workforce development networks that provide stronger linkages between employers, schools, training institutions and community-based organizations. Gary Paul Green examines in this book how these networks are organized, why employers and training institutions participate in them and whether they are effective. Drawing upon data from training institutions, employers and other organizations in rural areas, the author takes a multi-method approach to examining workforce development networks by combining qualitative and quantitative data, as well as considering various actors. Collaborative models of training are found to provide a strong incentive for employers to increase their investment in job training, reduce the risk and cost of training, and improve the flow of information in local labor markets. The author also describes the critical role community-based organizations play by broadening the available training and providing stronger ties with employers and workers. He concludes that workforce development policy needs to recognize the importance of grassroots organizations in job training and build institutional support for their activities. The new data and analyses will be of great interest to academics working in the area of rural and workforce development. Community and workforce development practitioners as well as human resource managers will appreciate the concrete suggestions for policy and practice.