Roundup: July 9, 2024
A regular feature of our growing online journal, The Rural Review, these roundup posts collect notable recent research, analysis, and related rural news and commentary. Feel free to send suggestions for future collections to us here. And, more details on other opportunities to contribute to The Rural Review can be found here.
Recent Publications
In What Do We Owe a Place? How the Debate About Left-behind Places is Challenging How We Distribute Public Funding and the Problems It Should Address published in the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Lewis Dijkstra (Joint Research Centre, European Commission) argues that prioritizing the publication of annual public expenditure per region and municipality and considering relative economic decline when allocating funding are important approaches to current debates about left-behind places.
Sociologia Ruralis published Intersectionality, Childhood Disability and Rurality: What Does Rural Life Mean for Disabled Children and Their Families? by Susan Flynn (Social Work and Social Policy, University of Dublin) exploring how rurality affects everyday life for disabled children and their families including access to services, social connectedness, and quality of life. Through a critical disability studies lens, the article examines disability, intersectionality, and rurality to understand how rurality may affect lives of the disabled community, recognizing that disability is not the only identity position to consider when seeking solutions.
In Barriers to Participation in Clinical Trials of Rural Older Adult Cancer Survivors: A Qualitative Study published in The Journal of Rural Health, a team of researchers focused on rural individuals over the age of 65 in an effort to uncover how best to improve the population’s participation in clinical trials. Evelyn Arana-Chicas (Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ), Laura M. Hincapie Prisco, Saloni Sharma, Fiona Stauffer, Allison Magnuson, Makiko Ban-Hoefen, Jason Zittel, Ana Paula Cupertino, Karen M. Mustian, Supriya G. Mohile (all University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry), Serge Dauphin (Arnot Medical Center, NY), and Jaime Navarette (Rochester General Hospital, NY) found that age- and location-sensitive interventions may mitigate barriers such as limited knowledge of and fear about clinical trials, transportation challenges, and assumptions about age restrictions.
News & Commentary
The Daily Yonder reported on a round of federal funding focused on establishing renewable energy projects across the country in rural communities with fewer than 10,000 residents. Such a “game changing” level of investment aims to reduce energy bills for rural Americans and is indicative of the success of efforts to help rural communities access grant opportunities.
An article in the Nebraska Examiner considered the effect of a Medicare program designed to save dying rural hospitals by paying them millions to stop offering inpatient services and focus on emergency care instead. With nearly one-third of rural hospitals at risk of closing, community members remain uncertain if solutions like this one are better than nothing.
The University of Kentucky Institute for Rural Journalism reported on Eastern Kentucky’s recovery efforts following devastating flooding in 2022. The article notes that the nonprofits working with state and local officials are addressing not only rebuilding needs for flood victims, but also the region’s chronic housing shortages.
The Rural Health Information Hub published an article about road safety in rural America, noting that country roads host a disproportionate number of fatal crashes. Limited public transportation and walkability options leave rural people largely reliant on vehicles, and rural roadways often feature safety challenges due to higher speed limits and road conditions.
Events & Recordings
On July 11, 2024, our Project co-creator Jessica Shoemaker joins Jed Purdy (Duke Law) and Anne Eisenberg (West Virginia Law) for a discussion on Imagining New Property Relations as part of a Rural Transformations in the United States series hosted by the Duke Center for International Development, the Sanford School of Public Policy, and the World Food Policy Center. Registration for this online event is open here.
The Black Appalachian Coalition shared a recording of their conversation with DeWayne Barton, founder of Hood Huggers International, as part of their ongoing efforts to highlight Black community leaders working to support Black Appalachian communities. Hear more about Hood Huggers International’s mission to create an inclusive and economically just culture of sustainability through community-centered projects here.
Registration is open for the Rural Assembly Everywhere 2024 free virtual event on August 1, 2024. This year’s focus will be on nurturing thriving communities in challenging times and shifting focus to conversations that center rural flourishing, explore the essence of rural life, and celebrate and collaborate with individuals and organizations across the nation who are making a difference. Find out more about speakers and sessions and register here.
