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U.S. economists wrestle with how to help 'left behind' areas
Would the same strategies apply in Smith County, Kansas, where the population has been declining since 1900 and now includes twice the proportion of senior citizens as the United States as a whole? That’s the dilemma economists have begun wrestling with as they debate whether “place based” economic strategies, often seen as a path to pork barrel spending under the good intent of creating local jobs, may now be the only way to reverse the separation of the country into areas that are doing well and those that are treading water or slipping behind. The short answer: It won’t be easy, and after decades of decline in ... (full story)