Rural studies

Rural studies

The Rural Studies Program supports rural residents to be prepared to lead and thrive in today’s economy and advances the frontiers of scientific knowledge in rural development. Our goal is to develop research and provide learning opportunities that transform the lives of people and their communities.

The Rural Studies Program is a university-based program to support broadly multidisciplinary teaching, research and Extension programs focused on rural people and places. The first Rural Studies Program was founded at Oregon State University (OSU) in 2001 by Emery Castle — the first multidisciplinary program focusing on rural issues. In 2018, University of Idaho Extension established an affiliate program with the Rural Studies Program at OSU to facilitate interdisciplinary partnerships among researchers, Extension faculty, students and stakeholders to address complex rural challenges in the Pacific Northwest.

Our program advances the frontiers of scientific knowledge in rural development, centering on matters that support the process of wealth creation in rural communities. By focusing on the totality of capital within rural communities, rural residents can envision a more inclusive, diverse and promising future built upon their existing assets.

The Rural Studies Program brings the knowledge and research of the University of Idaho to a broader audience of community members, elected officials and practitioners. Our goal is to provide learning opportunities that transform the lives of people and their communities.

Research publications

Explore our research and Extension publications related to rural issues.

Economic resilience

Paul Lewin, Philip Watson and Anna Brown. 2017. Surviving the great recession: the influence of income inequality in U.S. urban counties. Regional Studies, 52 (6): 781-792.

Lauryn Ringwood, Philip Watson and Paul Lewin (2018). A quantitative method for measuring regional economic resilience to the great recession. Journal of Urban and Regional Policy.

Entrepreneurship

• Mindes, S.; Lewin, P.; and Fisher, M. 2022. Intergenerational and ethnonational disparities in Hispanic immigrant self-employment. Ethnicities.
• Mindes, C.H, & Lewin, P.A. (2021) Self-employment through the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of linked monthly CPS data. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 16.
• Fisher, M. and Lewin, P. 2019. Profitable entrepreneurship or marginal self‐employment? The bimodality of Latina self‐employment in the United States. J Small Business Management.
• Monica Fisher and Paul Lewin. 2018. Push and pull factors and Hispanic self-employment in the USA. Small Business Economics.

Environmental hazards

• Newman, S., M.S. Carroll, P.J. Jakes, D. Williams, L. Higgins. 2014. Earth, wind and fire: Wildfire risk perceptions in a hurricane-prone environment. Society and Natural Resources, 27(11), DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2014.918234.
• Newman, Soren, Matthew S. Carroll, Pamela J. Jakes, L. Higgins. 2014. Hurricanes and wildfires: Generic characteristics of community adaptive capacity. Environmental Hazards, 13(1): 21-37.
• Newman, Soren, Matthew S. Carroll, Pamela J. Jakes, T. Paveglio. 2013. Land development patterns and adaptive capacity for wildfire: three examples from Florida. Journal of Forestry, 111(3): 167-174.

Food systems

• Saul, D., S. Newman, T. Lee, S. Peterson, S. Devadoss, D. Shrestha, N. Sanyal. 2014. Increasing prosperity for small farms through sustainable livestock production, processing and marketing. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development. pp. 1–17.
• Roop D. J., D. S. Shrestha, D. A. Saul, S. Newman. 2014. Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of regionally produced beef in the northwestern U.S. Transactions of the ASABE. 57(3): 927-935.
• Roop D. J., D. S. Shrestha, D. A. Saul. 2013. Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of locally produced beef in the Palouse region of the northwestern U.S. Transactions of the American Society of Biological and Environmental Engineers 56(5):1933-1941.
• Knight, Kyle W., S. Newman. 2012. Organic agriculture as environmental reform: A cross-national investigation. Society and Natural Resources, 26(4): 1–17.
• Pilgeram, Ryanne and Russell Meeuf. 2015. Good food, good intentions: Where pro-sustainability arguments get stale in U.S. food documentaries. Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture 9(1): 100-117.
• Pilgeram, Ryanne. 2013. The political and economic consequences of defining sustainable agriculture in the U.S. Sociology Compass 7(2): 123-134.
• Pilgeram, Ryanne and Russell Meeuf. 2014. The celebrity of salatin: Can a famous lunatic farmer change the food system?, Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis 3(1): 1-19.

Rural education

• Paul Lewin and Willem Braak. 2015. Social returns to education: Strengthening rural economies. Bellwether Education and J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.
• Paul Lewin and Willem Braak. 2014. Economic returns to education in Idaho. Bellwether Education and J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.

Water

• Jaffee, D. and S. Newman. 2013. A more perfect commodity: Bottled water, global accumulation and local contestation. Rural Sociology, 78(1): 1-28.
• Jaffee, D. and S. Newman. 2013. A bottle half empty: Bottled water, commodification and contestation. Organization and Environment, 26(3): 318-335.

Wood-based bioenergy

• Newman, S., D. Saul., R. Keefe, R. Jacobson, T. Laninga, J. Moroney. 2017. The devil is in the details: Inland Northwest stakeholders’ views on three forest-based bioenergy scenarios. Forest Science. 63(6):614-620.
• Jacobson, R., R. Keefe, A. Smith, S. Metlen, D. Saul, S. Newman, T. Laninga, D. Inman. 2016. Multi-spatial analysis of forest residue utilization for bioenergy. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. doi:10.1002/bbb.1659.

Extension and outreach publications

Rural education

• Lewin, P. and W. Braak. Hand in hand: Education and economic development in Idaho. Rural Opportunity Consortium of Idaho. June 2015

Rural wealth creation

• Braak, W. and Lewin, P. 2015. The dollar game curriculum: Inspiring wealth creation in rural communities. Journal of Extension, 53 (4).
• Lewin, P. and Braak, W. 2016. The dollar game: Play scenarios to grow a local economy, ECS10. University of Idaho Extension.

Tips for entrepreneurs

• Heninger, K; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. Tips for entrepreneurs — money manager for business owners, BUL990. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
• Bartles, K.; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2020. Tips for entrepreneurs — expanding a business, the physical site, BUL949. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
• Chavez Garcia, B; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2020. Tips for entrepreneurs — expanding a business, adding paid employees, BUL947. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
• Gooden, K.; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2019. Tips for entrepreneurs — regulation for selling prepared foods, BUL946. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
• Gooden, K.; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2019. Consejos para Emprendedores – Regulaciones para Vender Alimentos Preparados, BUL946s. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
• Meier, J.; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2019. Tips for entrepreneurs — what to think about when starting a business, BUL945. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
• Meier, J.; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2019. Consejos para Emprendedores— Qué hay que Considerar al Comenzar un Negocio, BUL945s. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.

Your rights and responsibilities

• Gooden, K.; Dearien, C.; Rumel, J.; and Lewin, P. 2020. Your rights and responsibilities — notario fraud, BUL948. University of Idaho Extension and Rural Studies Program.
• Kissam, E. and Lewin, P. 2016. Costs and benefits of applying for deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), BUL904. University of Idaho Extension.