Introduction
The government, as the national body of governance and control of the national resource and interests, is charged with the responsibility of ensuring success in all these affairs. The government in itself can never rely on its own ability to cater to the society as a whole without involving the various stakeholders, including those in the nongovernmental sector. The government, in effect, sets or rather abdicates various duties to various groups or individuals who do the research and advice it accordingly. The government, in effect, acts as required to implement the findings from the researchers.
The government, through the very precious information that it receives from the field people, sets up legislations in the form of policies (Shen et al., 2009). Policies are the actions that are taken by a governing or rather an administrative body of a state with respect to issues. This is done in a way that is in accordance with the law or the institutional codes and customs. Policies act as guidelines for the government and its people.
One such body that researches and advises the government accordingly is the economic researchers. The Economic Research Service is the main body that informs and enhances economic policies in both the public and the private sectors. The economic research service creates or rather develops policies centered on the areas of National resources, food, rural development, and even agriculture. In order to be successful in this venture, professional social scientists and economists must be involved. They develop and discharge varied information that includes information from other disciplines in the field of science. Therefore, from this information, the private and public sectors can carry on with their businesses in a more accurate and precise manner.
The duty of this agency is set upon four major divisions.
- Information services
- Market and Trade economics
- Rural economics and resources
- Food Economics
The Economic research service (ERS) persons then disseminate their very vital information through various avenues that include articles in journals, published reports, the ERS website, verbal or oral briefings, amongst many other modes of dispatching information.
Objectives
This research paper is aimed at dissecting and looking into the functions of the Economic research services body and observing the specific areas that the government has performed unsatisfactorily towards implementation. Apart from the insight into the various areas where the government has failed to implement policies fully, the paper also suggests various approaches that can be taken in order to obtain relevant solutions to the problem.
Significance of the study
The various policy propositions projected to the government by the Economic Research Service providers are very vital for national development purposes. Failure of the government to oversee success in the implementation of the details provided by the body is quite frustrating to the efforts of the body.
Government inefficiency and proposed policy suggestion
The rural area is a rich region in terms of viable resources, which can be utilized for national gains. The rural communities, on the other hand, have a variety of distinctive resources that can provide a wealthy base for economic development. The natural resources such as mountains, rivers, valleys, forests, and even wildlife provide unique job opportunities to rural communities. Occupants of the rural regions have very high chances of being self-employed since they are presented with a chance of venturing into entrepreneurial activities. Activities like agriculture are high-income earners for individuals who actively engage in it. Wildlife availability also acts as a reservoir of the nation’s heritage (McCuiston, Wooldrige, & Pierce, 2004).
However, harnessing these resources and using them for economic and financial gains has presented many challenges to the inhabitants of the rural regions. This is basically as a result of various reasons. One of the major problems facing this group of persons is the low population density. The rural areas have continuously lost their populace to the urban areas as a result of the rampant rural-urban migration.
Another problem facing rural areas is poor infrastructure. Infrastructure in the form of roads, for example, is dilapidated and unfavorable for economic development. Apart from the problems in transportation, communication also presents a major challenge. In the modern world that we are in, communication is necessary for economic vibrancy and success. Communication is also accompanied by technological advancement, all with the intent of economic development.
The rural communities are still faced with the problem of a single job opportunity. These people rely on a single type of employment, all in the name of agriculture. To make it worse, their agricultural practices are still wanting in terms of technological advancement. This community is most cases also depends on government funding for their upkeep. All these factors prove that these people’s earnings are meager and insufficient to cater to their financial needs effectively. These sources of income are not only small but also seasonal.
The fact that there are few people also suggests insufficient workforce and inadequate economic output. The reason why the tax revenues are lower in the rural areas is that the lower average income per person. It is because of this reason that there are fewer allocations in terms of resources (amenities and services) in rural areas.
The rural areas have very limited access to financial resources. This is major because of the very poor access to financial institutions. These institutions include banks and micro financiers. Poor access to financial resources translates to a lack of funds for starting viable business ventures or even expanding the existing ones.
These challenges facing the rural areas and thus maiming economic development have, to some extent, been identified by the Economic Research body and presented to the government to be looked into. However, due to some reasons, these issues have not been tackled effectively. There are various proposals presented to the government on how these challenges can be equally tackled and counteracted.
The first parameter that the Economic Research body has continuously identified is the population density problem. The rural areas are experiencing an overwhelming rate of rural-urban migration. People find the rural areas unattractive. This problem can be tackled through making the rural areas attractive. This can be done through various government-initiated programs such as the rural-roads construction programs, rural electrification programs, plus many other such rural-development oriented programs.
In order to attract the population to move towards rural places, the government has to look into the housing situation in these regions. Poor housing condition is reason enough to inspire the influx of people into urban places.
Growth of the population would even inspire industrial development since the industries would be assured of labor services being available in their industries. Establishing an industry in an area deficient in the labor force has never been a wise strategy when considering industrial production. Apart from the population density, improvements on the natural infrastructure would also attract industrial development.
In order to succeed in practicing technologically based agricultural activities, rural farmers require very vital information. The government should educate the farmers on current agricultural practices. This would help them break away from the traditional modes of farming that are time-tested and proven to be deficient. The extension officers, who are well trained and highly capable of training farmers, can provide this information. Engaging in technologically inspired agriculture would basically translate into bigger and quality agricultural harvests.
Conclusion
From this review, it is quite evident that most of the problems haunting the rural community have very effective solutions, which, when implemented, can address the issues to their finality. The government needs to look into the various poverty litigation propositions that have been presented by the Economic research services as the advising body on issues of economic development.
Government inefficiency can be hugely blamed for continuously poor development activities in rural areas. Economic researchers have repeatedly expressed their frustrations at the slow rate at which their policy proposals are being handled (Mcuiston et al., 2004). Equitable regional development is an essential measure in ensuring regional balance in terms of economic viability. Problems haunting the rural areas can be dealt with fair and squarely if the government fully implements its policies regarding rural economics and resources. These resources, when fully harnessed, would not only benefit the rural population but would also trickle down and benefit the whole nation. The Economic Researchers’ work of directing government policies is strengthened when their propositions are considered and implemented.
References
McCuiston, V.E., Wooldrige, B. R., & Pierce, C.K. (2004). The Economic Researches and The Development Policies, Human Resource Development review, 25(1), 73-92.
Shen, J., Chanda, A., D’Netto, B., & Monga, M. (2009). Money, Financial markets and the Economy, Journal of Comparative Economics, 20(2), 235–251.