Suchergebnisse

AbstractPrior studies of ethanol location rest on the assumption that ethanol producers are economic free agents—evaluating sites as if all counties are contenders for their business, weighing the availability of feedstocks along with their infrastructure needs, operating without ties to localities, and being subject to enticement from policy incentives. We analyze the political‐economic process through which ethanol plants come into communities by examining plant location decisions, plant financing, community receptivity toward the plant, local government incentives, and the dynamics of the approval process. We use case studies of ethanol plants in Wisconsin to explore the economic, social, and political dynamics of ethanol plant location. Our case studies provide evidence in support of some findings in the ethanol location literature—such as the importance of access to corn; however, they also suggest site selection criteria not adequately addressed by the literature. Furthermore, our data suggest that capital may not be as mobile as location theory assumes it to be and that location decisions are not primarily determined by consideration of profit maximization. Instead, the location of ethanol plants is greatly influenced by the extent to which the original initiators of the plant are locally embedded in its host community. Our research answers Barkley and McNamara's (:45) call for a return to a case studies approach in order to develop "reliable insights into the location process."

Abstract Rural women have difficulty finding good jobs. Ownership of small businesses offers an alternative but the sales and income of women‐owned firms are significantly lower than those of men‐owned firms. Compared with men, women owners are more likely to operate smaller and newer businesses; however, these differences do not completely account for the gap in gross sales between men‐ and women‐owned businesses. The strongest influences on business success are firm size, corporate status, and industrial sector. Though significant, the owner's gender is less important than these organizational characteristics. The factors influencing success of small businesses generally are the same for men‐ and women‐owned businesses. More research on business networks and the start‐up phase of small businesses is necessary for a better understanding of the sources of gender differences in success.

Variables compiled from various secondary sources are used to analyze the political & economic conditions under which states protect local firms from hostile takeovers. Findings suggest that high unemployment & the presence of nationally oriented firms facilitate the passage of takeover statutes; a speculative business environment & union headquarters do not. Finance capital institutions help define the interests to which legislators respond. Consistent with bank hegemony theory, the results indicate that finance capital helps unify the business community around their broad class interests in stability, while shifting the balance of power away from unions. 4 Tables, 26 References.

Abstract This paper examines how the structure of the labor market differentially affects white men's underemployment in urban and rural areas. The effects of labor supply and demand, including special measures of public employment and two previously neglected aspects of competition—global industrial competition and sexual labor market competition—on unemployment, low‐wage employment, and low‐hours employment are examined. A higher proportion of females in the labor force in rural labor market areas provides benefits to men in the form of lower unemployment, but also costs them, through an increased prevalence of low‐wage employment, while the opposite effects are evident for areas with concentrations in periphery service industries. The findings suggest that industrial restructuring in the form of increased foreign competition and an increased loss of core transformative jobs are especially threatening to rural men's employment adequacy.

Examines whether racial & ethnic groups vary in their job-search strategies & whether the effects of job-search strategies vary for racial & ethnic groups, using data from the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, which includes a random sample of households in Atlanta ([GA] N = 1,528), Boston ([MA] N = 1,820), & Los Angeles ([CA] N = approximately 4,000). Findings indicate that Hispanics rely much more heavily on informal search strategies, but these lead to lower-paying jobs. Relying on a friend or relative to locate a job is especially detrimental for Hispanics. Using a multiplex tie (ie, a person who is a friend or relative, a coworker, & a neighbor) leads to lower-paying jobs for blacks & higher-paying jobs for whites. Results suggest that a better understanding of racial & ethnic differences in search strategy results may require a more detailed examination of racial & ethnic differences in the kinds of jobs produced by informal searches & the types of employers more likely to use word-of-mouth recruitment. 6 Tables, 25 References. Adapted from the source document.

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part I: Who Lives in Rural America Today? -- New Directions in Population Change and Diversity -- 1 Unpredictable Directions of Rural Population Growth and Migration -- 2 African Americans in Rural America -- 3 American Indians -- 4 Latinos in Rural America -- Reshuffling and Remaking Rural Families -- 5 What Do Rural Families Look Like Today? -- 6 Older Rural Families -- 7 Rural Children and Youth at Risk -- 8 Rural Women -- 9 Rural Poverty -- Part II: A Transformed Rural Economy -- 10 How People Make a Living in Rural America -- 11 Who Benefits from Economic Restructuring? -- 12 Commuting -- 13 Continuities and Disjunctures in the Transformation of the U.S. Agro-Food System -- 14 Tourism and Natural Amenity Development -- Part III: The Rural Community: Is It Local? Is It a Community? -- Perspectives on Community -- 15 Community Agency and Local Development -- 16 Social Capital -- 17 Civil Society, Civic Communities, and Rural Development -- The Social Institutions That Maintain and Reproduce Community -- 18 The Global/Local Interface -- 19 Competition, Cooperation, and Local Governance -- 20 Religion -- 21 Promoting Educational Achievement -- 22 Rural Health Policy -- Part IV: People and the Environment: Tough Tradeoffs in an Era with Vanishing Buffers -- 23 Transforming Rural America -- 24 Community and Resource Extraction in Rural America -- 25 Fur, Fins, and Feathers -- Part V: Changing National and International Policies: New Uncertainties and New Challenges -- 26 What Role Can Community Play in Local Economic Development? -- 27 Devolution -- 28 Welfare Reform in Rural Areas -- 29 The Impact of Global Economic Practices on American Farming -- 30 Catalytic Community Development -- Conclusion -- References -- Contributors -- Index