Core Programs - Rural Governance

One of the many challenges facing rural America, and happily one of the best opportunities for shaping a vibrant future for rural communities, is the quest for effective governance, particularly at the local and regional levels.  The way decisions are made, and who makes them, is at the heart of a healthy democracy.  But in too many parts of the country, especially away from the metropolitan areas, democratic traditions and principles are threatened by remote, exclusionary, and ill-informed decision-making.  RUPRI has sought to identify the principles that underlie good governance at the community level and with funding support from the Northwest Area Foundation has tested these in clusters of communities in three north-western states.  Eight Principles For Effective Rural Governance – And How Communities Put Them Into Practice is RUPRI’s latest report on community governance.

RUPRI's Rural Governance Initiative Briefing Paper, published in June 2005:
Effective Rural Governance: What Is It? Does It Matter?