Rural Policy Forum: New Social Contract

New Social Contract:

So what does the “New Social Contract” look like? How do practitioners, researchers and policy makers leverage all types of resources for effective action? How do we accomplish an examination of the impact on rural America as policies are being formed?

Acting as a catalyst for practical application of the "New Social Contract" for rural communities, MRP Inc. will build partnerships and provide forums for issue identification, dialogue and resolution through:

Implementing the rural policy forum process to collect and aggregate the unmediated rural voice
Developing multi-level partnerships to identify and implement strategies at the local, state and national level
Facilitating a day of dialogue to determine practical solutions in creating a new social contract
Provide tools, connections and resources for practitioners, researchers adn policy makers

“Today’s rural public policy is often national policy that has been created with little or no thought for its implications for rural communities.”

Without a social contract, rural America will be left to purely market-based opportunities. And how do we create a new social contract without our rural remnant power bases attempting to destroy those who propose change and new priorities? The old justifications no longer work for investing in rural areas."

Dr. Karl Stauber, President, Northwest Area Foundation