摘要：We often use the term rural very loosely when
discussing public policy. Rarely do we describe explicitly
the kinds of places we have in mind for particular
programs and craft precise eligibility requirements
that deliver the programs to those places without
expensive leakages to other, unintended beneficiaries.
Yet, whether state policies directed toward rural
people and places are appropriate and effective depends
on how places are selected for inclusion or exclusion.
Furthermore, how we understand rural conditions
and the policy context depends on the definitions
we use. Floating about are definitions of rural so
varied that anywhere from 58% of the U.S. population
to a mere 2% is in rural areas, and both these extremes
are based on federal statistical categories.
