A new book by KU Medical Center researcher focuses on the importance of preserving rural communities

Tom Mueller, Ph.D., director of the Kansas Center for Rural Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center, believes that today’s rural America — with persistent migration out of small towns, a decrease in birth rates, a transition away from traditional rural industries and an increase in midlife mortality rates — is at a crossroads.

In his new book, “The Case for Rural America,” Mueller asserts that while there have been increasing calls to save rural America through sustainable rural economic development, many of these well-intentioned attempts could lead to an even quicker loss of what remains of rural America.

Expansion of industry, infrastructure and population are typically seen as positive outcomes. But Mueller said that in many of these cases, the desirable qualities of rural life are fundamentally altered and lost. In “The Case for Rural America,” he explores the issue, presenting examples and theories about sustaining rural communities.

In his book, Mueller asks and then tries to answer the critical question: What can be done if rural communities are still seeing young people and companies move away and job prospects decline? Those losses lead to other, often more serious changes, such as the loss of health insurance tied to jobs that disappeared in that community.

Mueller said it's important for rural communities to take charge and invest in themselves, but he believes this should be part of a national solution, as many rural areas do not have the same capacity as others.

“Some of them have already been experiencing decades of neglect, so it's not really fair to assume they can just start and be successful,” he said.

There is a history of assistance to rural communities from state and federal governments, but often those policies do not take the circumstances of rural people and economies into consideration, Mueller noted.

“When the federal government has made money available historically, they often structure things in the form of loans or grants,” he said. “And if you don't have anybody in your community who has the bandwidth to apply for grants, much less manage it once you get it, then you're also not going to see success.”

Mueller said the issues facing rural areas are much the same as those facing urban areas.

“It’s a combination of mechanization and changes in technology and the kind of outsourcing or globalization of our economy,” he explained. “But there aren't enough incentives for these companies to locate in rural areas.”

How to build and sustain those incentives is a matter of continued research that Mueller introduces in his book. He has hope that Americans will see the value of preserving the culture of small towns and the aspirations of their residents. It will require significant change, he said, especially to attract highly skilled professionals who may feel locked into their urban jobs.

“I think we need to free people up to be able to choose to live and stay in rural communities,” said Mueller.

“The Case for Rural America” is available from the University of North Carolina Press.