Discrepancies between the pursuit and implementation of economic development in the nonmetropolitan west: how much do natural, physical, and social factors matter?

Jessica Augusta Crowe

doi:10.7273/000005701

In this dissertation, I draw upon a community capitals framework (CCF) to analyze economic development efforts in rural communities. I have developed a series of studies that together empirically examine the impact of four community capitals (human, built, social, and natural) on a community s level of economic development. More specifically, I examine the impact of various community capitals on two types of economic development: industrial (also referred to as job) recruitment and self-development. A second purpose of the dissertation is to explore how community capitals impact the pursuit of these two types of economic development strategies and how this differs from the implementation of economic development. Finally, this dissertation explores which economic development promotions are most successful and how the community capitals help or hinder successful implementation. This dissertation is comprised of an introductory chapter that outlines the conditions that rural communities face, the need for economic development, and gives a brief summary of research conducted on community-level economic development to date. Following the introductory chapter, three chapters of journal article length form the main body of the dissertation and address how different forms of community capital impact economic development. Finally, a concluding chapter summarizes the main findings and considers future directions for research. Data come from a survey of community leaders from 101 communities in Washington and Oregon, along with interview data from key respondents from six communities. Chapter Two examines how a community s interorganizational network structure impacts industrial recruitment and self-development. Results suggest that different types of network structures are better suited for different economic development strategies. A certain level of cohesiveness among community organizations and institutions are favorable for implementing self-development projects. However for industrial recruitment, networks that are bridging facilitate more types of economic development. Chapter Three explains how a community s stock of natural capital impacts the pursuit and implementation of industrial recruitment and self-development. While natural capital has an impact on the pursuit and implementation of both types of economic development, it positively impacts industrial recruitment while negatively impacting self-development. Moreover, while the natural surroundings of communities impact the pursuit of economic development, the impact becomes more important for the implementation of economic development strategies, net of other social and demographic factors. Chapter Four examines how economic development is impacted by natural, social, human, and built capital. It also describes which economic development strategies are effective and how different community capitals contribute to the level of effectiveness. Results suggest that the pursuit and implementation of economic development are associated with built, natural, and social factors in an intricate pattern, while human capital does not appear to play a major role in the successful implementation of economic development. In an era of globalization, rural communities are forced to change their sources of economic development. The question as to how communities can effectively implement economic development is an important one to policymakers, social researchers, and community members. This dissertation shows that there is no easy solution to this question, and that several factors simultaneously play a part. Thus it is imperative that researchers, policy-makers, and community activists heavily consider the complex ways that built, natural, and social capital work together to influence different types of economic development strategies.

Discrepancies between the pursuit and implementation of economic development in the nonmetropolitan west: how much do natural, physical, and social factors matter?

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