Using Electric Cooperatives to Build Entrepreneurship in Rural America: An Investigative Conceptual Framework

This paper proposes a new framework for rural entrepreneurship that builds upon the extant
literature on rural entrepreneurship. We describe the current literature on entrepreneurship in
rural America. We then develop a framework for rural entrepreneurship that can be adapted to fit
the needs of rural community development efforts.

We use an example of an electric cooperative
in North Carolina that has taken an active role in entrepreneurial development to demonstrate
how the framework applies to practice. We conclude by discussing the ramifications of this
framework for researchers, public policy officials, government leaders, and individuals interested
in rural entrepreneurship.

Kirk Heriot, Columbus State University

Noel Campbell, University of Central Arkansas

Jeffrey Shields, University of Southern Maine

Full Paper: http://sbaer.uca.edu/research/sbi/2008SBIPROCEEDS/08.pdf