Rural people and communities continue to play important social,
economic, and environmental roles at a time when societies are rapidly
urbanizing. This unrivaled critical introduction, now in a
comprehensively updated second edition, examines the causes and
consequences of major social and economic transformations affecting
rural populations in recent decades, explores policies developed to
ameliorate problems or enhance opportunities, and highlights the
resilience of rural people and communities.
In an engaging, reader-friendly style, the book explores both
socio-demographic and political economic aspects of rural transformation
through an accessible and up-to-date blend of theory and empirical
analysis, with each chapter's discussion grounded in real-life
case-study materials. The new edition has been completely revised
throughout, with new data and literature, and carefully updated to
address emerging issues of direct relevance to rural people and places,
including a whole new chapter on rural politics.
Rural People and Communities in the 21st Century will continue to be
the standard reading of choice for advanced undergraduate and graduate
courses in rural sociology, community sociology, rural and/or population
geography, community development, and population studies.