摘要：Reports of worrisome economic trends and deficiencies
in rural areas typically spawn pronouncements
on the need for rural economic development.
Such reports often highlight: declining employment in
primary economic sectors, high unemployment, a lack
of jobs for young workers and a consequent aging of
the population, overall population loss, closures of
local businesses, declining per capita incomes relative
to urban areas, inadequate education and healthcare,
and high rates of poverty. What are seldom subsequently
addressed, however, are issues of whether
these can and should be remedied, and whether the
state should play a role.
