A tale of two Utahs: a call to invest in rural Utah economies inspired by the Marshall Plan.

• Author: Gochnour, Natalie
• Position: Economic insight

There's an old saying that once you've seen one rural community, you've seen one rural community. Counties and communities in rural Utah each have their own flavor, including varying economic and demographic characteristics.

The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute has borrowed from Charles Dickens to popularize the term "a tale of two Utahs." It refers to the very different economic circumstances many rural communities face in our state compared to urban Utah.

If you want to see a startling fact, just look at the percent change in the number of jobs county-by-county in Utah since 2007. Eleven rural counties lost jobs during this timeframe, while all the others experienced increases.

These and other statistics--such as out-migration, stagnant wages, a rapidly aging population and high unemployment--prompted a friend of mine to call the economic hardship in rural Utah the state's silent recession.

I recently spoke at the Utah Rural Summit and shared a message about the need to invest in economically disadvantaged rural areas. My thinking was inspired by the great Marshall Plan of 1948 because it provides an excellent example of how to unite behind a common investment goal.

Marshall Plan basics

George Marshall was one of the most decorated military leaders in American history because of his valiant service during World War II. After the war, George Marshall agreed to serve as President Truman's Secretary of State.

In 1947, Marshall announced the European Recovery Program, later called the Marshall Plan, which sought to increase industrial and agricultural production, establish and maintain financial stability, expand foreign trade and create mechanisms for economic cooperation.

The plan was big, bold and successful. The results speak for themselves:

* Europe's GNP rose from 1947 to 1951 by 32.5 percent.

* Industrial production increased by 40 percent over pre-war levels.

* Agricultural production exceeded pre-war levels by 11 percent.

It isn't a stretch to say the Marshall Plan provided the economic momentum Europe needed to achieve economic viability. We need a similar thrust of momentum to help communities in Utah.

An investment plan for rural Utah

Clearly, the Marshall Plan is an imperfect metaphor so let's talk about what a rural Utah Marshall Plan is not. Rural Utah is NOT the war-torn areas of Western and Central Europe after World War II. We are NOT talking about ruined economies, destitute people and other effects of war.

We are talking...