Within the past decade, attention in the Commonwealth Caribbean has focused on the implications of broadcasting for development policies. The relationship between Caribbean governments and the broadcast industry has generally been close and cordial as a result of the small size of the countries and the reality of government ownership of a large…

The rural communities of the North American Great Plains are experiencing fundamental economic and social changes that threaten their very existence. While local projects offer hope for survival, many communities lack the knowledge needed to envision and evaluate their possible futures. As a consequence, communities may pursue survival strategies…

Rural social work has its roots both in social movements and in personal social services. Social workers in rural areas need to be effective not only in individual change, but also in organizational or community change, defined as the process by which people attempt to promote the well-being of their community. Similarities exist between…

Emergence of a dual agricultural system, need for sophisticated knowledge and equipment, declining importance of labor, and geographic and organizational concentration of the production and processing of certain commodities are creating changes in rural communities. While some changes will have negative social/economic impacts, the importance of…

Rural school and community renewal efforts may depend upon a reconceptualization of our democratic institutions and practices. During at least the last 130 years, we have come to judge our democratic institutions on the basis of whether they deliver the goods rather than develop our people. In the name of progress, efficiency, higher standards of…

A dynamic community economic development and education process has emerged in Missouri. This effort is bringing about changed awareness and attitudes as well as developing skills and community self-help actions as a result of collaboration between communities, Extension specialists, and the University of Missouri-Columbia. One of the institutions…

The United States government has no true national rural policy toward education and rural community development. The need exists for the federal government to assume a different role in these areas from what it has traditionally played. In the past the federal education enterprise has failed to relate the design, purpose, or implementation of its…

Early childhood education and care (educare) combined with community development presents a unique opportunity to stimulate the disadvantaged and oppressed sectors of the population towards improved economic status, increased self-confidence and self-esteem, and human development. The three main elements of this approach are the community,…

Numerous factors can make an area attractive to high technology industries, including: (1) local exclusionary zoning and restrictive covenants which seek to enhance the beauty of industrial park areas; (2) mutually beneficial affiliations with universities; (3) installation of special utility lines to minimize disruption of service to park areas;…

American rural communities are decaying, the underlying causes being chronic unemployment and inadequate infrastructure. The information age can cause the ultimate demise of rural America by further eroding local institutions or it can be its savior by revitalizing the sense of community. The link between community development and the information…

The persons and groups who held lead roles in the development of an electricity generating plant near Craig, Colorado, and/or aided in problem solving activities are the concerns of this examination of boomtown studies in which field theory is employed as a framework for assessing Craig's community structure characteristics. The usefulness of…

This paper addresses issues relevant to international development programming, particularly with reference to distance education programming in indigenous communities of the Canadian north. A major issue in international programming is the role of the community. Without the participation of indigenous peoples as partners in program design and…

This paper examines changes in federal policy that have encouraged economic development by American Indian tribes, and presents examples from New Mexico. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 guaranteed federal provision of education and other services to the tribes, but the newly reorganized tribal governments were regulated almost exclusively by…

Findings from current literature form the basis for this examination of five critical elements of change and development within the local community setting which impact on agriculture: population, employment, land, water, and environment. Renewed rural population growth during the 1970's has reversed small farm trends but placed strains on local…

This paper explores the emerging relationship between distance education and sustainable development. After ranging through the literature on sustainable community development, this essay concludes that above all it must be unified: it must combine the traditional economic criteria for success (profits and employment) with a fusing of community…