Differential population response to poverty in rural areas and its consequences: Regional comparisons in the United States and Germany

The purpose of the present paper is to examine the population response to poverty and unemployment in different regions of Germany and the United States. In Germany, many counties in the northeastern states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg experienced substantial population losses after unification, reflecting high rates of unemployment in those areas. All projections point to a continuation of this trend. In the United States, two of the three poorest regions are the lower Mississippi Delta and the Texas Borderland. Despite similar poverty conditions, the population has decreased over several decades and now remains stagnant, whereas the Borderland experiences substantial population growth through both net migration and natural increase. The paper discusses reasons for why in some regions, population declines in response to unfavorable economic conditions and grows in other regions with similar conditions. In addition, the paper addresses the implications of these responses for infrastructure and institutions (e.g. schools, medical services, and public administration).