RURAL REVITALIZATION: ROLE OF AND POLICIES FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Rural development policies in the United States have evolved to address the changing composition of rural economies. During the early and middle years of the twentieth century, rural economies were essentially farm dependent. In 1950, more than 30 percent of the rural work force was directly involved in farming (U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture). This produced a degree of similarity in rural areas across the country, facilitating the development of national ru-ral policies. During the 1960s, the strategy of rural industrialization arose to encourage the movement of capital to rural areas as a means of creating employment, reducing poverty rates and generally allevi-ating the relatively depressed economic conditions in nonmetropoli-tan areas (Summers). Results of the rural industrialization policies have fallen short of expectations. The local employment and income multiplier effects were found to be considerably less than had been predicted. Leakage