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Residential and employment locational decisions for working households are frequently commingled. Numerous economic and social factors like job accessibility, wage differentials, housing markets, travel time, trip-chaining opportunities, dual employment, and other quality-of-life considerations influence where a household ultimately chooses to reside relative to places of employment. These choices in turn shape commuting patterns within a region. Using the U.S. Census Bureau's LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES), the authors explore longitudinal changes in the growth of commuting patterns based on commuters traveling 50 miles or more between their place of residence and place of employment for counties in Midwestern states from 2002 to 2019. The authors find that the rate of commuters traveling 50 miles or more appears to have increased in rural areas across several periods and regions. Thus, rural communities concerned about labor supply constraints must take into consideration more expansive geographic labor markets and approach labor force development in partnership across local economic development institutions. In essence, the growth in commuting sheds requires stronger regional partnerships to address the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines officials' reactions to the fiscal constraints facing Wisconsin municipalities in 2004. Using survey response data coupled secondary demographic and financial data, our findings reflect a substantial amount of continuity when compared to earlier published works. Wisconsin municipal officials support a series of revenue and expenditure strategies depending on the level of stress facing the community. Surprisingly, we find no statistical relationship between officials' perceptions of fiscal stress and empirical measures of fiscal stress. Our study also demonstrates that the existence of professional administration influences the types of response strategies pursued by municipalities. Keywords: fiscal stress, public finance, retrenchment DOI: 10.1080/01900690701230184

Contemporary resource management practice and rural development planning increasingly emphasize the integration of resource extractive industries with non-market-based recreational and amenity values. There is a growing empirical literature which suggests that natural amenities impact regional economies through aggregate measures of economic performance such as population, income, and/or employment growth, and housing development. We maintain that assessing the developmental aspects of amenity-led regional change requires a more thorough focus on alternative measures of economic performance such as income distribution and spatial organization. In the applied research presented here we investigate relationships between amenities and regional economic development indicators. Results suggest mixed and generally insignificant amenity-based associations which highlight the need for appropriate regional economic modeling techniques that account for often dramatic spatial autocorrelation of natural amenity attributes. We conclude that with respect to amenity driven economic growth and development 'place in space' matters.

ABSTRACT Recruiting retirees is a popular economic development strategy for rural communities. Previous research finds positive economic and fiscal impacts in communities, but it tends to assume that the elderly [...]

The literature on the economic and fiscal impacts of in-migrating retirees on rural communities tends to concentrate on the younger, more affluent newly retired. This article addresses an issue not systematically addressed: the impacts on communities as these retirees age. Households that vary by age have different income levels and expenditure patterns. A county-level, conjoined input-output/econometrics simulation model is used to assess the impacts of an aging rural population. As hypothesized, the magnitude and nature of impacts is in direct proportion to relative household size and income level. The increased local government expenditures are covered by the increased revenues, even as retirees age.

Social capital has become a cornerstone to community development. Unfortunately, its scope of research, particularly on policy, creates more smoke than light. This essay builds on an interdisciplinary foundation for a more inclusive approach to social capital research. Though broad evidence supports Putnam's claims on social capital, our understanding is incomplete, partly due to scholars' focus on individual disciplinary perspectives. We summarize social capital and its use as a development tool, and consider how to move toward a more interdisciplinary framework. We explore where communities have created and evaluated social capital, cross-disciplinary insights, empirical work suggesting cause-effect, and offer three examples of interplay between social capital and community development: the built environment, migration, and entrepreneurship. Our conclusion presents a conceptual model including all Community Capitals rather than treating them piecemeal, viewing the community as a system under what ecologists call the "law of the minimum" wherein limiting elements constrain growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]