Southern Growth Outlines Steps to Rural Prosperity

Building high-quality communities is the underpinning of long-term economic development, suggests new Southern Growth Policies Board research. A report published by Southern Growth, The New Architecture of Rural Prosperity, states that although measurable progress has been made in the past several decades, the rural South continues to lag the nation in educational achievement, health care and economic performance.

The inclusiveness in the development of the report's recommendations is a credit to Southern Growth. More than 2,200 southerners participated in focus groups, forums and surveys to provide input. Participants indicated that lack of job opportunities for educated young people and quality of education are the biggest barriers to economic prosperity in their communities.

Some of the potential action items for states to undertake include encouraging institutions of higher education to be fully engaged in economic development, providing seed funding for regional initiatives, and encouraging philanthropic organizations and the private sector to provide incentives that encourage regional collaboration.

The report also includes analysis and recommendations from previous reports on economic development, examples of innovative programs in the region that are promoting rural prosperity, and detailed feedback from participants. It is available for purchase from Southern Growth at: http://www.southern.org/pubs/pubs.shtml#annual