Publications and Presentations

ISTP Applied Research and Extension Reports

• Population Trends by Race and Ethnicity: Findings from the 2020 Census.  2021.  Peters, D.  ISU Extension: SOC3098.
  • County Data – Percent by Race/Ethnicity 2020
  • County Data – Growth Rates by Race/Ethnicity 2010-2020
  • City Data – Percent by Race/Ethnicity 2020
  • City Data – Growth Rates by Race/Ethnicity 2010-2020
• Why Leadership Matters for Rural Community Vitality in Iowa.  2020. Peters D. ISU Extension: SOC3093.
• Volunteering in Iowa Small Towns. 2020. Peters D. ISU Extension: SOC3092.
• Shrink-Smart Small Towns: Communities Can Still Thrive as they Lose Population. 2017. Peters D, Fisher H, Zarecor K. ISU Extension: SOC3083.
• What Drives Quality of Life in Iowa Small Towns? 2017. Peters D. ISU Extension: SOC 3082.
• Leadership Patterns, Civic Engagement, and Quality of Life. 2016. Sapp S, Tootle D, Harcey S, Peoples C, Thompson S. ISU College of Agriculture.
• Sigma: A Profile of Iowa Small Towns, 1994-2014. 2015. Artz G, et al. ISU College of Agriculture.
• Interest in Local News and Its Effect on Community Satisfaction and Attachment. 2014. Sapp S, Harcey S. ISU Sociology.
• A Decade of Change in Iowa’s Small Towns. 2005. Agnitsch K, Besser T, Friestad J, Whitham M. ISU Sociology: RDI-225.
• Town Size and Changes in Iowa’s Small Towns. 2005. Agnitsch K, Besser T, Friestad J, Whitham M. ISU Sociology: RDI-226.
• Sigma: A Profile of Iowa’s Rural Communities. 1995. Ryan V, et al. ISU Sociology: RDI-0101.

ISTP Academic Papers

• “Revisiting the Goldschmidt Hypothesis in the 21st Century: Impact of Farm Structure on Social Capital and Quality of Life in Small Towns.” 2020. Peters D. Forthcoming chapter in Handbook on the Human Impact of Agriculture. Edward Elgar.
• “Rural Smart Shrinkage and Perceptions of Quality of Life in the Midwest.” 2020. Zarecor K, Peters D, Hamideh S. Forthcoming chapter in Handbook of Quality of Life and Sustainability, Socio-spatial, and Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Springer.
• “Trust and White Ethnic Diversity in Small Town Iowa.” 2020. Painter MA, Flagg C. Sociological Quarterly EarlyView.
• “Is Community Attachment a Determinant of Actual Migration? An Estimate of the Social Capital, Linear‐Development, and Systemic Approaches.” 2020. Kao YH, Sapp S. Social Science Quarterly 101(1): 201-217.
• “Is Social Capital as a Determinant of Community Attachment?” 2020. Kao YH, Sapp S. Sociological Spectrum 40(2): 136-150.
• “Community Resiliency in Declining Small Towns: Impact of Population Loss on Quality of Life over 20 Years.” 2019. Peters D. Rural Sociology 84(4): 635-668.
• “Community Entitativity and Civic Engagement.” 2019. Whitham M. City and Community 18(3): 896-914.
• “White Ethnic Diversity in Small Town Iowa: A Multilevel Analysis of Community Attachment.” 2019. Flagg C, Painter MA. Rural Sociology 84(2): 226–256.
• “Using Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure to Understand Smart Shrinkage in Small Towns.” 2018. Peters D, Hamideh S, Zarecor K, Ghandour M. Journal of Rural Studies 64: 39-49.
• “Citizens’ Perceptions of Police in Rural US Communities: A Multilevel Analysis of Contextual, Organisational and Individual Predictors.” 2017. Holmes M, Painter MA, Smith B. Policing and Society 27(2): 136-156.
• “Making Sense of Community Action and Voluntary Participation—A Multilevel Test of Multilevel Hypotheses: Do Communities Act?” 2016. Cope M, Currit A, Flaherty J, Brown R. Rural Sociology 81(1): 3-34.
• “Checkbooks in the Heartland: Change over Time in Voluntary Association Membership.” 2014. Painter MA, Paxton P. Sociological Forum 29(2): 408-428.
• “Resilient Small Rural Towns and Community Shocks.” Besser T. 2013. Journal of Rural and Community Development 8(1): 117-134.
• “Bonds, Bridges and Quality of Life in Small Towns.” 2013. Recker N. Applied Research in Quality of Life 8: 63–75.
• “The Persistence of Neighboring as a Determinant of Community Attachment: A Community Field Perspective.” 2011. Sundblad D, Sapp S. Rural Sociology 76(4): 511-534.
• “Changes in Small Town Social Capital and Civic Engagement.” 2009. Besser T. Journal of Rural Studies 25(2): 185-193.

Other Research Projects Using ISTP Data

• ISU Smart and Connected Communities Project
• ISU Rural Opioids Project

Other Resources on Iowa Small Towns and Rural Communities

• ISU Rural Sociology Extension Publications
• ISU Farm and Rural Life Poll Publications
• ISU Community Indicators Program
• Iowa Government Finance Initiative
• ISU Office of State and Local Government Programs