Journal of Rural Studies xxx (xxxx) xxx Please cite this article as: Maria Rosario T. de Guzman, Journal of Rural Studies, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.06.036 0743-0167/Published by Elsevier Ltd. Rural communities as a context for entrepreneurship: Exploring perceptions of youth and business owners Maria Rosario T. de Guzman a, * , Surin Kim a , Sarah Taylor b , Irene Padasas a a University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA b California State University, Long Beach, USA A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Rural communities Youth Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship education ABSTRACT In light of declining rural economies and dissipating rural populations, scholars, policy makers and program developers have increasingly looked to local business development and entrepreneurship as a means of revi- talizing small communities across the United States. This study explores the perceptions of youth and business owners regarding the unique challenges and benefts or rural contexts for entrepreneurship, as well as percep- tions regarding the potential role of youth in contributing to rural economies. Drawing from in-depth interviews and focus groups among local business owners and young rural residents, fndings support earlier research regarding structural challenges that hamper rural business development (e.g., weak infrastructure) but also shed light on social challenges brought about by small and tightly bonded communities (e.g., openness to unfamiliar businesses). Notwithstanding these challenges, fndings also suggest several perceived benefts of small com- munities such as local support for residents’ enterprises and ease of communication with one’s customer base. Finally, business owners expressed placing a high value on rural youth and their potential to make unique contributions to business development, nonetheless, found challenges around providing meaningful hands-on experiences for youth to learn about business operations. Against the backdrop of declining rural populations and weakened rural economies, scholars, policymakers and program developers have increasingly looked to local entrepreneurship as a way to revitalize rural communities across the United States (e.g., Robinson et al., 2004). Youth entrepreneurship and workforce preparation, in particular, are increasingly being positioned as important components of business development and revitalization because of the potential for younger residents to make unique contributions to the economic landscape and community (e.g., Kourilsky et al., 2007). At the same time, researchers suggest that rural youth are especially vulnerable to feeling discon- nected from their own communities and recent demographic trends point to heightened levels of fight among younger segments of society from many small towns and villages across the country – making efforts towards encouraging rural youth entrepreneurship particularly precar- ious (Carr and Kefalas, 2009). Despite attempts to encourage young people to remain in their communities and the recent fourish in youth entrepreneurship and business programs across the United States, there remains signifcant scholarly gaps in basic information regarding how rural youth perceive their communities and their own potential in participating in rural economies. Furthermore, whereas current business owners arguably have the potential to help youth gain skills to become future entrepre- neurs, there is scant information on their perceptions about youths’ roles and potential to contribute to rural business landscapes. Addressing information gaps around the perspectives of rural youth and business owners, as well as their perspectives about the unique features of rural economies can potentially have important implications for successfully structuring entrepreneurship programs and educational experiences in such settings. Such information can also be invaluable in identifying potential areas of need in community planning geared towards encouraging rural economic development. Attempts to encourage entrepreneurship should consider specifc “subecosystems” and features of the immediate ecological context in which programs are being implemented (Regele and Neck, 2012). The current study was designed to address these issues. 1. Rural decline and youth fight Many towns and small cities in the United States have had shrinking populations over the last few decades (Ratcliffe et al., 2016). The * Corresponding author. 205 LPH, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0236, USA. E-mail address: mguzman2@unl.edu (M.R.T. de Guzman). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Rural Studies journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jrurstud https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.06.036 Received 13 September 2019; Received in revised form 30 May 2020; Accepted 13 June 2020