On November 12, 2009, Patrick Carr of Rutgers University came to the New America Foundation to discuss his new book, “Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for America.”  Two parts sociology and one part public policy, Professor Carr’s book traces the life courses of residents of a rural Iowa community: who leaves, who stays, and who returns.  In his passionate remarks, Carr offered numerous anecdotes about the people he met during the course of his research; explained the causes and consequences of the rural “brain drain”; and outlined various local efforts to entice the most promising young people to stay.

Following Professor Carr’s presentation, Phil Longman, Research Director of the Next Social Contract Initiative at New America, discussed two industries that could help bring back neglected rural communities: agriculture and transportation. The growing interest in sustainably harvested food may prove a boon to smalltime farmers, Longman argued, while the renewal of freight and passenger rail could reconnect much of rural America to the national economy.  

David Gray, Director of the Workforce and Family Program at New America, moderated the engaging question and answer session that followed.