Key Steps for Boosting Rural Economies

1. Rural economic development should focus on the unique strengths of each area, rather than concentrating on ameliorating generic weaknesses
2. The appropriate economic unit for strategy purposes must include not only rural areas but also adjacent urban centers
3. Rural economic development should address and harness the efficient spatial distribution of economic activity rather than attempt to replicate urban economies
4. A single national rural policy is unlikely to be meaningful and successful
5. Each community should bear responsibility for its economic success, not the federal government
6. Federal and state governments need to provide rural regions with the necessary tools and financing mechanisms to develop and execute an effective strategy