Self-Development: A Viable Rural Development Option?

In: Policy studies journal: an international journal of public policy, Band 20, Heft 2, S. 276-288

Abstract

The success of locality-based developmental efforts in the rural US in the 1980s is examined through in-depth study of 8 self-development (SD) efforts & analysis of survey data collected from 103 SD communities. Contextual factors leading to the initiation of SD include definition of a crisis in the locality & openness of community to new actors in economic development. Organizational choices impacting the success of projects include: (1) appropriateness of type of project for local resource base; (2) development of an adaptable organizational structure that promotes participation & includes formal mechanisms for management; (3) access to capital; & (4) use of vertical linkages. Though SD can make important economic & noneconomic contributions to a community, communities should not rely on them as a primary strategy for economic development. 2 Tables, 9 References. D. Generoli