The objective of this paper is to assess locality-based development effortswhich wecall self-development-in rural America during the decadeof the 1980s, and based on that analysis, to suggest the efficacy of these locally-initiated efforts for the future. We include an examination of the factors influencing the success of such projects in order to be able to suggest appropriate policies for encouraging selfdevelopment-if indeed such encouragement is merited.Self-development is defined as the implementation of a local project, or creation of a firm (or firms), that increases income to the community and/or generates a net increase in jobs. Local self-development strategies stand in contrast to other economic development strategies based on attracting new or branch plants from outside the community. A local self-development project must include the following three charactaistics: (a) involvement of a local community organization, such as a local govemment; (b) investment of local resources (this does not preclude the use of additional outside resources); and (c) local ownership and control of the enterprise or activity (Reid, 1987, p. 10).Based on a nationwide study of self-development projects in nonmetropolitan communities, we identified more than 100 self-development projects. Information was collected on the type and location of each project, how it was implemented, obstacles to successful implementation, and project costs and benefits. This paper's findings are based primarily on in-depth case studies of eight self-developmentefforts, augmented by selected findings from survey data collected from 103 self-development communities.Recent changes in the economic structure of rural communities have generated renewed concern about the fate of rural America. In response to the restructuring of local economies, many researchers and policymakers have argued that rural leaders should broaden their development efforts. Industrial recruiunent has been criticized for not offering a realistic potential for success-especially long-term success-in many rural communities. Instead, leaders are encouraged to rely on local resources to generate economic options. Much of the recent literature on economic development suggests that communities need to move toward greater economic vitality.' Successful implementation of self-development strategies does not mean that communities will become independent of market forces, but it implies that there will be a greater reliance on local resources. MethodologyBecause there is little or no research available on self-development strategies, we undertook a study to identify and leam about self-development projects. To locate

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Using a new procedure for coding the relationships of elders to other household members, we examined age, gender, and area-of-residence differences in household type and generational composition. The majority of elders live in some form of family household; most prevalent are two-person, married-couple-only households at ages 65-79, one-person households at ages 80-89, and two-generation households at ages 90+. Overall, elders are more likely to live in two- than in three-generation households.

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