From 1979 through 1984 the economic bases of rural Oregon counties have undergone structural change. Nonwage income, especially transfer payments, has played an important role in these changes. Demographic changes in rural counties have contributed to the growth in unearned income. The economic structure of rural Oregon counties was estimated by applying indirect export analysis techniques to secondary data. The results of the structural analysis provided the data for the econometric analysis. A conceptual model of regional growth was developed that incorporated community characteristics such as the size of the market (population) and market distance (location and commuting activity) from central place theory. This conceptual model was made operational through several econometric models which regressed basic income and community characteristics on residentiary incomes. Data limitations prevented extensive testing of the econometric models. Some bias, which affected the values of the residentiary sectors, was perceived in the estimation of exports. Two methodological improvements were attained. Firstly, the economic base of each county was estimated with sectoral groupings and data disaggregation that were better suited to the analytical techniques than is commonly applied. Secondly, a regional growth model was develped that combined basic income arguments with regional location and population arguments. The growth of expenditures by transfer payments recipients, both as a type of basic income expenditure and as a representative of retiree consumption, helped to account for the growth of residentiary income in rural counties during the early 1980's. Due to the steady growth of transfer payments, the growth of the retiree population and the decline in export earnings, policy makers should specifically consider the changing number of retirees when formulating regional development strategies. / Graduation date: 1988

It has been of some interest to the profession of social work that eligible persons underutilize or fail to use social services and benefits to which they are legally entitled. A number of different reasons have been cited in the social work literature and otherwise generally accepted within the ranks of the social work profession as possible or probable causes of underutilization or lack of use. The variety of reasons includes client lack of knowledge about programs, lack of motivation on the part of eligible clients to apply for benefits and services, client unawareness about legal recourse in securing services, and the like. Other reasons are related to the stigmatizing nature of services, including the effects of means testing, particularly in programs such as the food stamp program and public welfare. We have assumed for some time that the means test has an inherently stigmatizing quality--indeed, the means test has long taken the blame for being the main source of stigma in the social services. Bentrup (1964), Titmuss (1968), and others have called for the complete elimination of means testing in relief programs, to be replaced by negative income tax programs, needs tests, and various other methods of detennining eligibility and providing services and benefits to poor people in a non-stigmatizing manner.