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Economic Progress and the Decline of the Countryside

Economic Progress and the Decline of the Countryside. James Dunn Pennsylvania State University. Economic Progress has certain changes. Agriculture becomes more efficient Economies of scale Substitute capital for labor Fewer, but bigger farms Scientific advances. Poland’s Dairy Herd.

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Economic Progress and the Decline of the Countryside

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  1. Economic Progress and the Decline of the Countryside James Dunn Pennsylvania State University

  2. Economic Progress has certain changes • Agriculture becomes more efficient • Economies of scale • Substitute capital for labor • Fewer, but bigger farms • Scientific advances

  3. Poland’s Dairy Herd Source: Piotr Szajner: Polish Dairy Outlook

  4. Manufacturing • Factories get bigger and more modern • Substitute capital for labor • More mechanization

  5. Polish Dairy Processors Source: Piotr Szajner: Polish Dairy Outlook

  6. Transportation • Better roads • More cars • More four lane roads • Bigger and better trucks • Containerized freight

  7. Retailing • Chain stores • Hyper marts • More items in store • More items from far away • Lower prices for ordinary goods

  8. Villages • Small shops struggle • Smaller and fewer farm families • Bachelor farmers • Bedroom communities – work in the city, • live in the village – shop in the city • Lots of old people – few young families • Fewer children in school

  9. Some examples • Elkton • my grandfather – drug store • 1940 – doctor left • 1960 lots of stores • Now – very few – bedroom community • Bryant • Better roads – fewer stores • Bigger farms – fewer people • Town has shrunk

  10. Some more • Greeley • My father last dentist – 1948 • Fire on main street – didn’t rebuild • 69% fewer people in county since 1920 • Serbia • Ireland • Australia • Ukraine

  11. CIS states • Slovakia • Serbia • Ukraine – private (?) farms • Russia - Ussurysk, Voronezh • Uzbekistan

  12. What this means • Villages with just agriculture will shrink • Need something else to survive • Tourism? • Family history? • Architecture • Something else • Managing shrinkage

  13. Concluding Comments • Must have a plan • Managing growth • Managing shrinkage • Local government finance

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