Originally published in 1981, the main thesis of this book is that rural labour markets are at the core of the problem of rural depopulation in development countries. Therefore, the success or failure of policies seeking to moderate the process of population decline is linked to the policy maker’s ability to influence labour markets constructively. Migration in search of work has been a major cause of rural decline, and its reversal to bring about economically viable communities must be related to the availability of employment in rural areas. The authors argue that the emergence of socially viable communities is the highest aim in rural economic policy making. Economic viability is usually a necessary but not a sufficient condition for social survival. This examination of the problems of choosing appropriate policies for rural areas, though written by two applied economists, will also be of interest to geographers, planner and politicians interested or involved in local and central government in the UK, the USA and Australia.
1. English Local Government Before 1832 2. The Making of the New Structure, 1832-1888 3. The Development of Central Control, 1832-1888
Biography
Ian Hodge
Martin Whitby
Original review of Rural Employment:
‘Hodge and Whitby have written a book that should provide interesting reading for many rural sociologists.’ William W. Falk, Rural Sociology, Vol 48, Issue 4 (1983).
