Why do regions fail?

In Mississippi, public policymakers, elected officials at all levels (local, state and federal) and community leaders of every stripe continually discuss ways to improve the Mississippi Delta.  There has been no shortage of studies, initiatives and funding programs for just about everything imaginable.  Although there are some bright spots, one wonders why there has not been more improvement in the region as a whole.

With that backdrop, I was especially interested in an article at the Daily Yonder website entitled Speak Your Piece: Why regions Fail, written by Jason Bailey.  The first sentence reads, “What’s kept Eastern Kentucky from prosperity?”  The author first discusses a critique of the region by outside observers, and then posits that one of the problems with such “diagnoses” is that it is too narrow.  We should look at the greater historical and economic context about why the families in the region live the way that they do, he says.  Reference is then made to Why Nations Fail, by economist Daron Acemoglu and political scientist James Robinson.  Here’s a clip from that part of the article:


They conclude that economic success is not the result of culture, geography or other standard explanations. Rather, prosperity is caused by a country’s human-made institutions.
They characterize nations’ economic and political institutions as either inclusive or extractive. Inclusive institutions create a fair environment for competition, provide education and encourage innovation, distribute political power widely and encourage public participation, and have an accountable and responsive government. Extractive institutions are designed to benefit the few at the expense of the many. They discourage democratic participation, fail to enforce the rule of law or promote new economic activity, and are characterized by corruption and cronyism.

So, could this observation be applied to Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta?  Or is it already being applied, and not getting the desired results?

The questions and observations about the solutions to poverty go on.  I recommend the above article as a good read to start/continue the discussion.
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RFP for Rural Communities Facing Design Challenges

The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is issuing a request for proposals to rural communities facing design challenges to host local workshops in 2013.
Successful applicants will receive a $7,000 grant and in-kind design expertise and technical assistance valued at $35,000. The Request for Proposals is on the new CIRD website: www.rural-design.org.
The deadline for submitting a proposal is Tuesday March 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST 
More info at http://www.pps.org/citizens-institute-on-rural-design-issues-rfp-for-rural-communities-facing-design-challenges/

Your town's name may be a big asset.

What’s in a name?

A lot if your town’s name is Sturgis.

(photo courtesy Steve Corbitt)

During the weekend of August 15-16, 2009 thousands of motorcyclists (bikers) descended on towns named Sturgis. The Grandaddy of course is Sturgis, South Dakota where bikers congragate for a full week of activities. Statistics are not in yet for this year, but in 2008 there 400,000 in attendance, 66 marriage licenses issued, $10.45 million in taxable sales, $418,932 South Dakota sales taxes collected, $217,213 Sturgis city sales taxes collected and 543 tons of garbage hauled. The event has grown so big that other towns in the U.S. named Sturgis have been having there own biker festivals during the same weekend. More…

In Sturgis, Mississippi over 850 bikers pre-registered for the event, and many more showed up without being pre-registered. Sturgis Mayor Walter Turner said the event is great for the city and the bikers and families are welcome. In advance of the even city crews performed such tasks as tree trimming, grass mowing, making sidewalk repairs, spraying for mosquitos and working to control fire ants.

Resources for Rural Communities

Read two new reports from EPA's Smart Growth Program and the Partnership for Sustainable Communities:

* Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities provides information on funding and technical assistance opportunities available from HUD, DOT, EPA, and USDA, and examples of how rural communities across the country have put these opportunities into action.

* Three Years of Helping Communities Achieve Their Visions for Growth and Prosperity is the Partnership for Sustainable Communities' third-year anniversary report. It includes case studies on Bridgeport, CT; Ranson and Charles Town, WV; Montgomery, AL; Cincinnati, OH; Moline, IL; Denver, CO; and Wellpinit, WA.

Find these reports at http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/index.htm

New Nonprofit Leaders: Stop and listen before beginning your year.

Congratulations on being chosen to lead your organization in the coming year.  In order to have the most successful year as leader of a board of directors of a nonprofit or other organization it would be useful to understand why the members of the board are serving.  These are some thoughts on what you as the incoming leader might consider.

One of the more basic human emotional needs is to belong to a group.  The extent to which they feel that they belong to your group will be a factor in determining the success of your year of leadership.  So how do you find out what your members need?  Well, why not just call and ask them?  Or better yet, simply sit down for a one-on-one meeting.  Basically, what you want to find out is why they are serving on the board.  Here are some examples of questions or comments that might be appropriate in such a conversation:

1.  What led you to accept (or volunteer) for a position on this board?

2.  What would you like to see the organization accomplish this year?

3.  You’ve been on this board for a while, what was the best moment or high point of this organization?

4.  How can I help you in the coming year?

5.  Is there anything that I should be aware of that is not obvious?

The 3 keys to economic development success

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a Mississippi Economic Development Council (MEDC) seminar held at the Community Development Foundation's (CDF) new headquarters in Tupelo.  During the Q & A session, David Rumbarger, President and CEO of the CDF, was asked what he considered to be the keys to success of CDF, which is considered one of the premiere economic development organizations in the United States.

Without hesitation, he answered, "Planning, goal-setting and execution."

We all seem to be looking for secrets to success in economic development, but it really comes down to what Rumbarger said. It reminds of what another business leader once told me about his company's "secret" to success.  His version was "Plan - Do - Check - Adjust."

Another thing I could not help but notice at that meeting in the CDF boardroom was the prominent poster-sized item at the front of the room.  It was a list of the CDF's goals for the current year.  Stop and think about that.  At every meeting the board members are reminded of the goals that they have set for the coming year.

Mississippi counties that are gaining (and losing) population.

Most of the nation’s rural counties lost population from 2010 to 2011, according to an article by Bill Bishop in The Daily Yonder.  Most of the loss was due to outmigration.

Among the 50 counties with the most population gains were Lee County, Mississippi, which came in at number 26 (gained 1,109), and Lafayette County, Mississippi, which came in at number 31 (gained 956).  Number One on the list of population gainers was Harnett County, NC, with a gain of 3,467 persons.
Mississippi counties that made the list of 50 counties that lost the most population were Washington County, which came in at number 7 (loss 644), Warren County at number 20 (loss 457) and Leflore County at number 26 (loss 432).  Below is a map from the above-referenced article and a table listing the 50 gainers and losers.