Rural America: A challenge to regional scientists

Rural economies in the United States and Canada are characterized by incomes persistently below those in metropolitan areas and both unemployment and underemployment rates continuously above those in major urban economies. Other socio-economic comparisons also indicate an adverse relationship. This paper explores the question of whether received theory adequately explains this enduring unfavorable relationship between rural and urban. It also raises the question of whether institutional structures or government policies are partly responsible for perpetuating the observed patterns.