How rural economic development can help us to both close the left/right divide and realize the American dream
This week two articles came across my desk that completely supported each other. That is, they told each other's stories.
The first is about the work of political scientist Katherine Cramer. She makes a well-founded case that what she calls 'rural resentment' plays a major role in dividing America against itself.
"My research has involved inviting myself into the conversations of people in neighborhood gathering places," she says, "like diners and gas stations and such, in more rural communities in Wisconsin. After about a year of doing that back in 2007–2008, it became pretty clear that, regardless of where I was in the state, there was this sense of people feeling like they weren’t getting their share of political power. ‘All the decisions were made in Madison, or Milwaukee,’ they were saying, ‘they’re made by people in cities. And we don’t get a say in all these regulations that are imposed upon us.’ They were also feeling like they weren’t getting their fair share of resources. In their minds, the good jobs and all the wealth are in the cities. And city people are just kind of oblivious to this, they don’t understand how good they have it. They were also saying, ‘We don’t get our fair share of respect, because the people making the decisions don’t understand our lives, don’t understand the challenges that we face. And really just don’t even like us. They think we’re racist, and sexist, and homophobic, Islamophobic.’ They weren’t using those terms, but that was kind of the sentiment they were conveying."
Article: Why Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide Might Save Our Lives
The second article is a new report by the Brookings Institution that also names these "outdated, inaccurate images of rural America", but then goes on to hold up case studies of communities that are realizing both growth and equity in increasingly diverse and dynamic rural areas. "Using in-depth, on-the-ground research in three rural communities across the U.S., the following briefs highlight place-based strategies as well as the policy and capacity-building supports needed to sustain and scale them in the years to come."
Report: Building Resilient Rural Places: Strategies from Local Leaders to Strengthen Rural Assets, Diversity, and Dynamism