Poverty and Income Inequality in Appalachia

Elgin Mannion and Dwight B. Billings
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Elgin Mannion: Western Illinois University
Dwight B. Billings: University of Kentucky

Chapter Chapter 17 in Population Change and Rural Society, 2006, pp 357-379 from Springer

Abstract: Conclusion In a region that continues to be highly dependent upon federal spending (Gatrell & Calzonetti, 2003), public money matters.The contention that free market forces in and of themselves are sufficient to lift lagging regions out of poverty has gained great currency over the past two decades. Efficiency-enhancing measures and infrastructure investments have helped some Appalachian communities but not others. The abrupt reversal of declining income inequities between metro and nonmetro counties in the 1980s suggests that both income maintenance and investments in economic efficiency remain necessary for many rural Appalachian counties. In Central Appalachia, despite significant infrastructure investments, many communities still lack basic “nuts-and-bolts” infrastructure such as sewer and water systems. Continued federal involvement and income maintenance for rural counties are difficult propositions to advance in the current policy climate but appear to remain vital tools for the reduction of currently increasing subregional and metro/nonmetro economic differentials.

Keywords: Income Inequality; Capita Income; Rural County; Income Convergence; Persistent Poverty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1007/1-4020-3902-6_17

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