Want to compete globally? Think like a region.

If your small town wants to compete in the global economy, you'd better start thinking like a region. This advice from Rural Policy Research Institute's Executive Director Mark Drabenstott, is the only way rural areas can remain viable in what he says is the "earth changing economic force of our time."

Currently rural areas lag in jobs and income. More importantly, he says, rural communities still depend too heavily on traditional commodities such as manufacturing and agriculture. This dependency stifles the innovation and creativity necessary to foster entrepreneurialism and stimulate job growth.

To change the paradigm, Drabenstott emphasized four points:

1. Rural areas must adopt a regional strategy. Identify what your region is best at and use these assets to develop a plan. This process involves five steps:
   1. Determine who is the region: evaluate cultural roots, geography, business clusters, etc.
   2. Build a regional group by involving public, private, educational and nonprofit leaders.
   3. Diagnose your region's competitive advantage.
   4. Map your regional assets, consider particularly those assets that may be overlooked or underexploited.
   5. Select the best economic direction and craft a strategy founded on your regional strengths.
      
      
2. Robust rural governance, not government. "Someone needs to play King Arthur and supply the round table where regional leaders can gather," Drabenstott says. Rural developers play a key role here due to their broad regional perspective.

3. Pursue Innovation. Steer investments toward regional innovation that fosters a climate that supports entrepreneurs. "Rural America still rests on the laurels of manufacturing and commodity agriculture," Drabenstott says.

4. Grow entrepreneurs. "Grow your way to economic happiness, don't recruit it," he says. It's time to change the rural culture from a mindset of "we work for them to we work for us." Plant the entrepreneurial seed in schoolchildren by supporting educational programs that encourage children to become entrepreneurs. (A good example is The Kaufmann Foundation entrepreneurial curriculum for K-12 students, available to interested schools.)

Finally, Drabenstott says rural developers should act as the catalyst for change in their areas. "You see and understand regional relationships," he says. "You can raise the bar and insist on an asset-based strategy to development."

In addition, Drabenstott encouraged rural developers to become familiar with the Rural Collaboration Investment Program, which is part of the new Farm Bill. "Get informed about this particular program and support it," Drabenstott concluded.

For more information on how to foster regional partnerships, the Rural Policy Research Institute offers a regional strategy analysis. For more details or to contact them, please visit www.rupri.org.

Mark Drabenstot, RUPRI, addressed NREDA members at the 2007 NREDA Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. Download his PowerPoint presentation here. (5 MB download)