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Rural Policy

Development Constraints and the Case for Possibilism: Explorations in the Mississippi Delta John Green*, John Green, Eleanor Green,

Rural America is of critical importance to the nation’s wellbeing, yet private, philanthropic, and governmental approaches to investing in development are complicated and sometimes even work at cross purposes. Many rural people and places face the downward spiral of economic and population decline, and even though local actors often attempt to alter these trajectories, they confront numerous structural barriers exacerbated by resource constraints. Corporate disinvestment, coupled with government and philanthropic development programs that are grant and loan based, leaves the places in the greatest need of assistance to battle obstacles that seem insurmountable. However, there are exceptions to these patterns that buck the trends. These cases need more attention, and learning from them may help to improve investment policies and practices across multiple sectors. Building on development scholar Albert O. Hirschman’s call for attending to the possible, rather than the traditional sociological analysis that favors the probable, this presentation will explore insights obtained from local development efforts in the Mississippi Delta, a high poverty region with pockets of chronic population decline and disinvestment. In the face of major historical and contemporary challenges, there have also been countless efforts to improve quality of life and livability that may serve to improve development models. Informed by concepts from Hirshman integrated with literature from the Rural Livelihoods Approach and Community Capitals Framework, the authors will present summary insights from cases attending to workforce, infrastructure, and food system development. Findings will highlight and connect strategic opportunities to inform diverse investments for advancement of both local development goals and the broader national interest.