Clowney: Do Rural Places Matter?

In Do Rural Places Matter?, Stephen Clowney (University of Arkansas Law School) engages directly with reasons to support continued investment in rural places. Clowney interrogates the strength of various pro-rural arguments and ultimately endorses renewed investment in a more targeted way.  

The author first considers the varied approaches taken by the federal government to invest in rural spaces, emphasizing the almost sixty-billion dollars poured into rural development programs each year. These programs aim to promote home ownership, land conservation, energy production, small businesses, and marketing for rural products. Despite this investment, many rural communities continue to shrink and struggle to keep up with their suburban and urban counterparts. Clowney asks why this might be the case and - more provocatively - why rural places are worth investment in the first place. 

Clowney presents six plausible reasons to support rural communities. Rural places (1) grow the nation’s food, (2) produce the nation’s energy, (3) have a distinct rural culture, (4) provide protection for the environment, (5) are unique spaces for recreation, and (6) have suffered uniquely from federal policies. By presenting both the strengths and weaknesses of each of these arguments, as well identifying outdated national understandings of rural places, Clowney advocates for a new understanding to guide effective investment strategies. For example, Clowney notes that vibrant small towns are no longer completely necessary to the success of major rural industries such as agriculture and energy as farm consolidation and large companies can operate with less local manpower and more migrant labor. Through the presentation of arguments and counterarguments, Clowney challenges readers to reconsider their own notions of the value of rural places and their assumptions about how these communities should be supported. 

To create effective national policy and investment in rural places, Clowney recommends clearer federal policy goals focused on encouraging innovation, investing in energy and stable water, protecting natural amenities available in rural spaces, and preserving rural cultural identity. Additionally, if carried out at the state level, Clowney argues these policy goals can better avoid outdated stereotypes and allow for place-based flexibility.