Introduction to Bridging the “Urban–Rural Divide”

Assessing and Addressing the Challenges of Rural Local Governments

“…Early attention focused on management capacity (Brown 1980), and management practices more broadly (Honadle 1983;Loomis and Beegle 1975;Seroka 1989), while subsequent work expanded to explore budgeting practices and financial management in more detail (Dougherty, Klase, and Song 1999;MacManus and Pammer 1990;Sokolow and Honadle 1984). Other areas of emphasis have included the challenges of service delivery (Brunet 2015;Feld 2019;Koven and Hadwiger 1992), the urban-rural divide (Accordino 2019), and the importance of rural areas to the politics of states (Cramer 2016), as well as the national government (Wuthnow 2018).…”

“…At the same time, scholarly attention given to the management of rural local governments and the challenges they face has remained limited (but see, e.g., Accordino 2019; Brunet 2015, Dougherty, Klase, and Song 1999; Mohr, Deller, and Halstead 2010). This trend is problematic for several reasons.…”

Providing Public Goods in Rural America: The Role of the Professional Public Administrator

“…Although more attention has been given to small and rural local governments recently PAQ Vol 46, Issue 2 (Accordino, 2019;Propheter, 2019), existing research largely remains limited and sporadic. In fact, according to Catlaw and Stout (2016) "small-town government is one of the least researched arenas of governance" (p. 225).…”

“…Regarding the latter, Mohr, Deller, and Halstead (2010) explore alternative methods of delivery in small and rural municipalities, Koven and Hadwiger (1992) examine the consolidation of rural service delivery, and Brunet (2015) highlights the closing of rural police departments. While a few scholars address rural public management from a broader perspective (Honadle, 1983;Loomis & Beegle, 1975;Seroka, 1986), recent assessments were limited until recently when considerable attention was given to the "urban-rural divide" (Accordino, 2019). Nonetheless, given the importance of both government structure and financial management, a continued emphasis on this subset of local governments is paramount because, when compared to larger and more urban areas, "their small populations, low population densities, and isolation from urban influences cause differences in the costs, amount, and quality of public services" (Dougherty et al, 1999, p. 17).…”

Does Placemaking Lead to a Resident’s Greater Place Dependence and Place Identity in Rural Communities? Empirical Evidence in Indiana

“…Incorporating local heritage and culture into physical or social aspects of the space is one way to facilitate meaning-making (Manzo and Perkins 2006). A resident’s place dependence and identity will increase when they experience public spaces reflecting their local identity and culture, particularly in rural communities (Accordino 2019; Dabson 2019). Thus, the following hypotheses are developed, Hypothesis 3a: The more positively a resident perceives the physical quality of the public space created through a placemaking project, the higher the resident will have levels of place dependence. Hypothesis 3b: The more positively a resident perceives the physical quality of the public space created through a placemaking project, the higher the resident will have levels of place identity. Hypothesis 4a: The more positively a resident perceives the social quality of the public space created through a placemaking project, the higher the resident will have levels of place dependence. Hypothesis 4b: The more positively a resident perceives the social quality of the public space created through a placemaking project, the higher the resident will have levels of place identity. Hypothesis 5a: The more positively a resident perceives the cultural quality of the public space created through a placemaking project, the higher the resident will have levels of place dependence. Hypothesis 5b: The more positively a resident perceives the cultural quality of the public space created through a placemaking project, the higher the resident will have levels of place identity. …”