Brian DabsonRural Policy Analysis & Research
Brian Dabson researches and writes on rural and regional economic and community development, regional collaboration, and rural-urban connections. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Until 2023, he consulted with the Aspen Institute's Community Strategies Group and, before then, was a Research Fellow with the School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before moving to North Carolina in 2016, he was Associate Dean, Research Professor, and Director of the Institute of Public Policy at the University of Missouri’s Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs. Previous positions include President of the Rural Policy Research Institute and President of CFED (now Prosperity Now). He served as board chair of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, member of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Community Development Advisory Council, member of the national steering committee of the National Rural Assembly, and president of the Social Innovations Forum at the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD). Prior to coming to the United States in 1992, he was a director of the Center for Employment Initiatives (CEI), a UK-based research and technical assistance nonprofit that worked across Europe on community and economic development programs, and before that, he held a number of local government planning and economic development positions in Liverpool and Glasgow.
Brian DabsonRural Policy Analysis & Research
Brian Dabson researches and writes on rural and regional economic and community development, regional collaboration, and rural-urban connections. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Until 2023, he consulted with the Aspen Institute's Community Strategies Group and, before then, was a Research Fellow with the School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before moving to North Carolina in 2016, he was Associate Dean, Research Professor, and Director of the Institute of Public Policy at the University of Missouri’s Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs. Previous positions include President of the Rural Policy Research Institute and President of CFED (now Prosperity Now). He served as board chair of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, member of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Community Development Advisory Council, member of the national steering committee of the National Rural Assembly, and president of the Social Innovations Forum at the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD). Prior to coming to the United States in 1992, he was a director of the Center for Employment Initiatives (CEI), a UK-based research and technical assistance nonprofit that worked across Europe on community and economic development programs, and before that, he held a number of local government planning and economic development positions in Liverpool and Glasgow.
Speaking
University of Minnesota Extension, Side by Side Podcast with Ellen Wolter, October 16, 2024. Brian Dabson explains rural-urban interdependence and why it matters for developing more effective policies. In this episode, Ellen talks with Brian Dabson, a rural policy researcher and one of the few analysts exploring rural-urban interdependence in the United States. Brian explains that rural-urban interdependence is essential for economic and social development. He shares the limitations of current rural and urban definitions and the need for refined metrics, research, and policies to capture the value of rural spaces, especially in the face of climate change. Insights about economic development, environmental preservation, and cultural approaches to land use highlight the complex dilemmas of rural-urban policy. Brian also shares insights from international models and suggests that America's policy can learn from such frameworks to address rural-urban connections more effectively. Subscribe: https://feeds.transistor.fm/side-by-side-426d0efa-c524-4a3e-8eec-a05109e6ce4e
June 2023, Minnesota Council on Foundations, Virtual presentation to Rural Urban Bridging Initiative Steering Committee. Rural-Urban Interdependence. February 2022, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Virtual Conference. Plenary presentation, Collaborative Rural Development & Regional Economic Connectivity. August 2021, NADO Research Foundation Economic Development Lecture Series, Economic Development with A Purpose: Shifting Expectations and Opportunities. January 2021, Indiana Prosperity Summit. Virtual Presentation: Regional Collaboration: A Path to Geographic and Racial Equity in Rural America? September 2020, Social Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation in Rural Regions, International Virtual Conference. Regional Solutions to Rural and Urban Challenges in the United States. July 2020, United Philanthropy Forum, Joint Virtual Presentation with Deborah Markley. Regional Solutions to Rural and Urban Challenges. November 2019, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Urban Institute, Schul Forum, Charlotte, North Carolina. Keynote: Building Urban-Rural Connections. November 2019, Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation/North Atlantic Forum, St. John’s, Newfoundland. Opening Keynote Panelist on Sustainable Communities.
June 2023, Minnesota Council on Foundations, Virtual presentation to Rural Urban Bridging Initiative Steering Committee. Rural-Urban Interdependence. February 2022, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs Virtual Conference. Plenary presentation, Collaborative Rural Development & Regional Economic Connectivity. August 2021, NADO Research Foundation Economic Development Lecture Series, Economic Development with A Purpose: Shifting Expectations and Opportunities. January 2021, Indiana Prosperity Summit. Virtual Presentation: Regional Collaboration: A Path to Geographic and Racial Equity in Rural America? September 2020, Social Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation in Rural Regions, International Virtual Conference. Regional Solutions to Rural and Urban Challenges in the United States. July 2020, United Philanthropy Forum, Joint Virtual Presentation with Deborah Markley. Regional Solutions to Rural and Urban Challenges. November 2019, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Urban Institute, Schul Forum, Charlotte, North Carolina. Keynote: Building Urban-Rural Connections. November 2019, Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation/North Atlantic Forum, St. John’s, Newfoundland. Opening Keynote Panelist on Sustainable Communities.
Writing
JOURNAL ARTICLES Dabson, Brian (2019). “Regional Solutions for Rural and Urban Challenges.” State and Local Government Review. Vol. 51(4) 283-291 Figueroa-Armijos, Maria, Brian Dabson, and Thomas G. Johnson (2012). “Rural Entrepreneurship in a Time of Recession.” Entrepreneurship Research Journal. Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 3. Dabson, Brian (2011) “Rural Regional Innovation: A Response to Metropolitan-Framed Place-Based Thinking in the United States” Australasian Journal of Regional Studies. Vol. 17, No.1. BOOK CHAPTERS Dabson, Brian & Christiana K. McFarland (2021), “Collaborative Rural Development and Regional Economic Connectivity” in Investing in Rural Prosperity. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Dabson, Brian (November 2018), “The Rural Dimensions of Workforce Development.” In Investing in America’s Workforce: Improving Outcomes for Workers and Employers. Washington, DC: Federal Reserve System Dabson, Brian (2008) “Entrepreneurship: The Path to Empowerment. In Veal, Don-Terry and Keenan Grenell, Entrepreneurship in South Africa and in the United States: Comparative Studies. New York: Edwin Mellon Press Dabson, Brian (2007), “Entrepreneurship as a Local Development Strategy in Rural Areas” in Walzer, Norman (Ed.). Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development. (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books) Dabson, Brian (2003), “Strengthening Local Rural Economies through Entrepreneurship” in Walzer, Norman (ed.), The American Midwest: Managing Change in Rural Transition. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe OTHER PUBLICATIONS (selection 2015-2023) Dabson, Brian (Editor) (December 2021): Principal Ideas: How Can We Secure Enduring Capital for Equitable Rural Prosperity? Thrive Rural Field Perspectives. Washington, DC: Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute. Dabson, Brian & Victoria Faust (November 2021), Rural Development and Rural Health Practices: Trends and Opportunities for Alignment. Thrive Rural Field Perspectives. Washington, DC: Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute. Dabson, Brian & Chitra Kumar (August 2021), Rural Development: A Scan of Field Practice and Trends. Washington, DC: Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute. Dabson, Brian (2015) Planning for a More Resilient Future: A Guide to Regional Approaches. National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation and MU Institute of Public Policy Dabson, Brian, and Erin Meyers (2015) Strengthening Rural-Urban Connections to Support Competitive Regions. National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation.
JOURNAL ARTICLES Dabson, Brian (2019). “Regional Solutions for Rural and Urban Challenges.” State and Local Government Review. Vol. 51(4) 283-291 Figueroa-Armijos, Maria, Brian Dabson, and Thomas G. Johnson (2012). “Rural Entrepreneurship in a Time of Recession.” Entrepreneurship Research Journal. Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 3. Dabson, Brian (2011) “Rural Regional Innovation: A Response to Metropolitan-Framed Place-Based Thinking in the United States” Australasian Journal of Regional Studies. Vol. 17, No.1. BOOK CHAPTERS Dabson, Brian & Christiana K. McFarland (2021), “Collaborative Rural Development and Regional Economic Connectivity” in Investing in Rural Prosperity. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Dabson, Brian (November 2018), “The Rural Dimensions of Workforce Development.” In Investing in America’s Workforce: Improving Outcomes for Workers and Employers. Washington, DC: Federal Reserve System Dabson, Brian (2008) “Entrepreneurship: The Path to Empowerment. In Veal, Don-Terry and Keenan Grenell, Entrepreneurship in South Africa and in the United States: Comparative Studies. New York: Edwin Mellon Press Dabson, Brian (2007), “Entrepreneurship as a Local Development Strategy in Rural Areas” in Walzer, Norman (Ed.). Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development. (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books) Dabson, Brian (2003), “Strengthening Local Rural Economies through Entrepreneurship” in Walzer, Norman (ed.), The American Midwest: Managing Change in Rural Transition. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe OTHER PUBLICATIONS (selection 2015-2023) Dabson, Brian (Editor) (December 2021): Principal Ideas: How Can We Secure Enduring Capital for Equitable Rural Prosperity? Thrive Rural Field Perspectives. Washington, DC: Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute. Dabson, Brian & Victoria Faust (November 2021), Rural Development and Rural Health Practices: Trends and Opportunities for Alignment. Thrive Rural Field Perspectives. Washington, DC: Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute. Dabson, Brian & Chitra Kumar (August 2021), Rural Development: A Scan of Field Practice and Trends. Washington, DC: Community Strategies Group, Aspen Institute. Dabson, Brian (2015) Planning for a More Resilient Future: A Guide to Regional Approaches. National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation and MU Institute of Public Policy Dabson, Brian, and Erin Meyers (2015) Strengthening Rural-Urban Connections to Support Competitive Regions. National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation.