Alaska S Rural Development

This book examines the social, economic, political, and cultural concerns surrounding the development of rural Alaska. The authors explore the controversy over rural development from a variety of perspectives-some supporting economic development and its implications for rural communities, others arguing for alternative approaches. They raise the issues of external control over local development and the effects of the boom-and-bust cycle often associated with rural change. Part 1 surveys the economic development of Alaska's resources, providing an historical overview of its fur, timber, and fishing industries and examining the current importance of oil, gas, minerals, and agricultural products. The section concludes with a discussion of the unique patterns of trade between Alaska and Asia. The second part turns to the organizations that have been, and are presently, the major vehicles for development-the village and regional corporations that grew out of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and the non-profit organizations responsible for social services and education. The authors also discuss the increasingly important role of governmental institutions. The final section considers the conflict between the goal of economic development and traditional Native values of subsistence and cultural preservation. The authors ask whether the development of Alaska's rural regions must take place at the expense of the traditional lifestyle and cultural distinctiveness of Native society.

This report focuses on economic trends since the 1970s in rural southeast Alaska. These trends are compared with those in the Nation and in nonmetropolitan areas of the country to determine the extent to which the economy in rural southeast Alaska is affected by regional activity and by larger market forces. Many of the economic changes occurring in rural southeast Alaska, such as the decline in the manufacturing sector, are reflections of broad-scale changes in the greater U.S. economy. Other changes, such as the increase in nonwage income as a percentage of total income, have been greater in rural southeast Alaska than at the larger scales of comparison. In chapter 1, Robertson describes these changes and their underlying causes and outlines some of their implications for the management of the Tongass National Forest. Providing forest-based recreational opportunities and aesthetic amenities is becoming increasingly important as tourism and residential activity compose a larger portion of the regions economy. In chapter 2, Crone provides a historical context for the economic changes in rural southeast Alaska. She also establishes the global context for these changes, concluding that forces at local, national, and international scales have shaped economic growth patterns in rural southeast Alaska.