Welfare Reform in Persistent Rural Poverty: Dreams, Disenchantments, and Diversity

“Welfare Reform in Persistent Rural Poverty is a welcome addition to the literature on welfare reform and required reading for anyone seeking to decipher the local consequences of the 1997 legislation.”

–Julie Zimmerman American Journal of Sociology

“Rural poverty has been seriously neglected by scholars, making this book particularly welcome. It is balanced, well written, and focused on a timely issue. It should be of interest to social workers and a broad array of social scientists.”

–S. Pressman Choice

“The authors successfully make the case that there is more to the story of welfare reform than simply declining caseloads, and there are many lessons to be learned for researchers and policymakers. If you are interested in a broad treatment of the effects of welfare reform in persistently poor rural counties, this book is not for you. However, if you are interested in an analysis, rich in local context, of how welfare reform worked in some of the poorest rural counties in the United States, then it will be a great addition to your library.”

–Alexander Marré Journal of Regional Science

Kathleen Pickering is Professor of Anthropology at Colorado State University.

Mark H. Harvey is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Florida Atlantic University.

Gene F. Summers is Professor Emeritus of Rural Sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

David Mushinski is Associate Professor of Economics at Colorado State University.