Rural Development in an Austere Environment: The Challenge of the Eighties

Abstract

It is clear, even to the most casual observer, that the era of intensive spending for rural development ended with the 1970s. The combined effects of inflation and recession, and the efforts of the Reagan administration to reduce government spending to combat these problems, signal the beginning of a new era in rural development. While there has been considerable disenchantment with the morass of unrelated federal agencies and spending programs that have constituted the actors and means in the process of rural development policy, the current milieu seems to have created considerable pessimism concerning the future of rural areas. The degree to which such a pessimistic outlook is justified is debatable, although there is certainly some reason for concern for the short-term human suffering that is already evident as programs are cut and services are reduced.