Category: Our Research Reports

Rural Minnesota is losing it’s voice. That’s the conclusion of a study where researchers talked to 50 prominent Minnesota decision makers and surveyed 120+ more. Due to a combination of reasons, the state’s rural population is becoming increasingly left out and left behind on the discussions that affect our everyday lives. Finding the Voice of Rural ...

This latest study from the Center takes a look at what business owners think of the state's regulatory environment. Is there too much regulation? Too little? This full report is based on a study by faculty at Minnesota State University Mankato. It finds that business owners vary in their views of regulations based on business ...

Who Lives in Rural Minnesota: A Region in Transition   Who lives in rural Minnesota? When the editorial committee settled on this for a theme 2012, the answer seemed obvious. But as soon as the discussion began to scratch the surface, the reality became more and more complicated. The truth of the matter, the committee ...

ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION OF TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES SERVING GREATER MN Residents of Greater Minnesota receive telecommunications services from a variety of providers; and this industry is undergoing rapid change and evolution. Increasing challenges and pressures facing the telecommunications industry has led the Minnesota Telecommunications Alliance (MTA) to pose the question of “What is  the economic contribution of ...

Examining the current state of Internet access in Minnesota and how the digital divide is redefined now that Internet access is here to stay. The 2012 Minnesota Internet Survey is the ninth in a series of surveys looking at the state of Internet access in Minnesota since 2001. This latest survey looks at where we’re ...

Youth in Rural Minnesota In this issue, we heard from authors from around the state who work with young people or are young people themselves. They discuss issues concerning themselves and their future in our state, everything from why the “brain drain” may be overrated to encouraging entrepreneurship to what schools should consider in creating our future ...

Looking at the growth of broadband access and use for clues to what’s next.

Issue 5 of the Rural Minnesota Journal presented articles on many aspects of rural life and the economy in an effort to inform policy makers–and the next governor–about what is important to the residents of Greater Minnesota. Click here to read and download the full issue: RMJ: Volume 5, 2010  

Each school district in the state has varying levels of internet speeds and accessibility. Whether because of cost or physical infrastructure, schools have online access at different rates, which affects their capability of using online resources in the classroom and in the school office. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding ...