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Today's @bopinion post is a response to @paulkrugman about rural America.
The situation isn't hopeless...as long as we're willing to allow our idea of "rural" to evolve a bit.
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
The situation isn't hopeless...as long as we're willing to allow our idea of "rural" to evolve a bit.
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
Yes, rural America is losing young people. Yes, people in rural America make less money.
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
And yes, the new knowledge economy is pushing Americans to move to big "superstar" cities, where rents have skyrocketed as a result.
theatlantic.com/business/archi…
theatlantic.com/business/archi…
Yes, it's hard to revive rural areas, and many of the proposed strategies for doing so are highly speculative.
brookings.edu/wp-content/upl…
brookings.edu/wp-content/upl…
And yes, @paulkrugman is right that rural America's decline is due to big, impersonal economic forces that we can't really alter.
nytimes.com/2019/03/18/opi…
nytimes.com/2019/03/18/opi…
But all is not lost for small-town America.
For one thing, it's generally a lot cheaper to live there than in New York or San Francisco.
For one thing, it's generally a lot cheaper to live there than in New York or San Francisco.
And many smaller cities in regions like the Midwest are actually doing well!
brookings.edu/blog/the-avenu…
brookings.edu/blog/the-avenu…
For some stories of small-city revival, check out "Our Towns" by @JamesFallows and Deborah Fallows.
amazon.com/Our-Towns-000-…
amazon.com/Our-Towns-000-…
There's evidence that governments can help create college towns, with lasting economic benefits.
socsci.uci.edu/~dneumark/1-s2…
socsci.uci.edu/~dneumark/1-s2…
How do college towns work their magic?
Several ways.
Direct effects:
1. Bringing in govt dollars
2. Bringing in tuition dollars (including overseas students)
Indirect effect:
1. Luring in private investment and smart people via RESEARCH.
Several ways.
Direct effects:
1. Bringing in govt dollars
2. Bringing in tuition dollars (including overseas students)
Indirect effect:
1. Luring in private investment and smart people via RESEARCH.
Here, in a nutshell, is my vision of what the future looks like for rural America with a bunch of thriving college towns:
Rural America's destiny, I believe, is to consolidate from scattered farming towns and factory towns of 5,000 or 10,000 people into college towns and small cities of 50,000 or 100,000 people.
It's not quite rural, but it certainly ain't NYC.
(end)
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
It's not quite rural, but it certainly ain't NYC.
(end)
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
