Rural people and communities continue to play important social, economic and environmental roles at a time in which societies are rapidly urbanizing, and the identities of local places are increasingly subsumed by flows of people, information and economic activity across global spaces.

Rural people and communities continue to play important social, economic and environmental roles at a time in which societies arerapidly urbanizing, and the identities of local places areincreasingly subsumed by flows of people, information and economicactivity across global spaces. However, while the organization ofrural life has been fundamentally transformed by institutional andsocial changes that have occurred since the mid-twentieth century, rural people and communities have proved resilient in the face ofthese transformations.

This book examines the causes and consequences of major social andeconomic changes affecting rural communities and populations duringthe first decades of the twenty-first century, and explorespolicies developed to ameliorate problems or enhance opportunities.Primarily focused on the U.S. context, while also providinginternational comparative discussion, the book is organized intofive sections each of which explores both socio-demographic andpolitical economic aspects of rural transformation. It features anaccessible and up-to-date blend of theory and empirical analysis, with each chapter's discussion grounded in real-lifesituations through the use of empirical case-study materials.

Rural People and Communities in the 21st Century is intendedfor advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in rural sociology, community sociology, rural and/or population geography, communitydevelopment, and population studies.