Roundup: November 21, 2025
A regular feature of The Rural Review, these roundup posts collect notable recent research, analysis, and related rural news and commentary. Feel free to send suggestions for future collections to us here. And, more details on other opportunities to contribute to The Rural Review can be found here.
Recent Publications
Daniel T. Lichter (Public Policy, Cornell University) and Kenneth M. Johnson (Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire) published Depopulation, Deaths, Diversity, and Deprivation: The 4Ds of Rural Population Change in RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences. Using data from the 2020 Census, the authors explore the demographic reshaping of rural America to identify patterns of rural decline and gentrification.
Rural Housing After the End of Coal. The Case of Boxberg (Upper Lusatia, Germany) by Matthias Naumann and Tamara Schaal-Lagodzinski (both Martin Luther University, Germany) published in the Journal of Rural Studies considers how the demand for and supply of housing in a rural mining community is affected by the transition from coal to new economic ventures. Adapting housing markets requires availability, local infrastructures, and social cohesion to be successful.
The American Journal of Agricultural Economics published Ethnic and Gender Disparities in US Agriculture: An Analysis of Technology and Technical Efficiency Differentials by Eric Njuki, Nigel Key (both Economic Research Service, USDA), Michée A. Lachaud (Agribusiness, Florida A&M University), and Boris E. Bravo-Ureta (Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Connecticut). The article identifies several approaches to addressing productivity gaps in women and minority-led farms.
News & Commentary
The Carsey School of Public Policy issued a brief exploring recent population gains in rural America. The report considers the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in discouraging outmigration and providing residential flexibility, allowing workers to migrate to and remain in rural areas.
Getty Images and Land O’Lakes, Inc. released a new playbook, Repicturing Rural, dedicated to reimagining visual representations of the rural US in media. In an effort to extend rural identity beyond “the opposite of urban,” the playbook shares approaches for a more complex, inclusive, and nuanced depiction of rural stories.
An article in The Associated Press reported on how tribal communities addressed disruptions to aid during the government shutdown: On the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana, tribal leaders culled their bison herds to supply supplemental food for tribal members. In Maine, the Mi’kmaq community drew on local trout and moose meat from their own hunts.
The Conversation published an article on the heightened risk of violence rural women face due to increased isolation, higher rates of abuse, and limited access to resources compared to urban women. Additionally, lower rates of reporting in rural and remote areas contributes to incorrect perceptions that rural spaces are safer.
Events & Recordings
In an episode of Resources Radio, “Recreation-Dependent Communities, Public Lands, and Housing Affordability,” host Margaret Walls interviews an economist and researcher at Headwaters Economics about the challenges communities face when their local economy is largely dependent on recreation and tourism. The conversation also discusses the feasibility of selling public lands to build affordable housing.
The National Rural Economic Developers Association upcoming webinar, “Economic Development Strategies that Transform Communities,” will explore strategies for long-term transformation in communities, from revitalized downtown districts to increased business investment and entrepreneurship. The webinar will be held on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 1 pm CST. Click here for more information on registration and fees.
