This book examines and compares the transformation of rural society and economy in the US and UK during the last half-century, and explores the significance of these transformations for community sustainability, the quality of life, and environmental quality.

Part 1: Introduction 1. Rural Transformations: Conceptual and Policy Issues Sally Shortall and Mildred E. Warner 2. The Agency of Rural Research in Comparative Context Philip Lowe Part 2: Socio-Economic Change 3. Migration and Urban-Rural Population Redistribution in the UK and US Tony Champion and David L. Brown 4. Demographic Ageing in Rural Areas: Insights from the UK and US Lorna Philip, David Brown and Aileen Stockdale 5. Conceptualizing Contemporary Immigrant Integration in the Rural United States and United Kingdom Philomena de Lima, Pilar A. Parra and Max J. Pfeffer 6. Rural Poverty and Social Exclusion in the United States and the United Kingdom Mark Shucksmith and Kai Schafft 7. Rural Economic Transformations in the UK and US Jane Atterton, John Bryden and Tom Johnson 8. Entrepreneurial Behaviour Among Rural In-Migrants Gary Bosworth and Nina Glasgow 9. Local Food Systems and Networks in the US and the UK: Community Development Considerations for Rural Areas Clare Hinrichs and Liz Charles Part 3: Governance 10. Policy Affecting Rural People, Economies and Communities John Bryden and Mildred E. Warner 11. The Evolution of Agriculture and Agricultural Policy in the UK and USA Kathryn Brasier, Jill Findeis, Carmen Hubbard, Lionel Hubbard and Rodrigo Salcedo DuBois 12. Agri-Environmental Policy, Rural Environments and Forks in the Road: A Comparative Analysis of the US and the UK Clive Potter and Steven Wolf 13. Nature Conservation and Environmental Management: Working Landscapes in Adirondack Park, USA, and Cairngorms National Park, UK Jo Vergunst, Charles Geisler and Richard Stedman 14. Regionalism and Rural Policy Sally Hewitt and Nicola Thompson 15. Rural Governance: Participation, Power and Possibilities for Action Megan Swindal and Ruth McAreavey 16. Constructing the Rural-Urban Interface: Place Still Matters in a Highly Mobile Society Mark Shucksmith, David L. Brown and Jo Vergunst Annex: The Statistical Measurement of Urban and Rural Residence in the UK and US Tony Champion and David L. Brown

Mark Shucksmith is Professor of Planning at Newcastle University.

David L. Brown is Professor and Chair of Development Sociology, Co-Director of the Community & Regional Development Institute, and Director of Graduate Studies in Demography at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Sally Shortall is a Reader in Sociology in Queen's University Belfast.

Jo Vergunst is a Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Aberdeen.

Mildred Warner is a Professor of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.