Robert Gibbs

Robert Gibbs

Associate Director, Resource and Rural Economics Division
robert.gibbs@usda.gov

Google Scholar profile

Briefly

Robert Gibbs is the Associate Director of the Resource and Rural Economics Division (RRED).

Background

Robert served as an economist with ERS from 1990-2007 and was Chief of the Farm and Rural Household Wellbeing Branch in RRED until 2013. He is an agency specialist in rural labor markets and education. Robert has conducted research on a variety of rural labor-related topics, including workforce education, occupation and skill change, welfare reform, and unemployment.

Education

Robert holds a Ph.D. in Regional Science from the University of Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Professional Affiliations

Robert is a member and past president of the Southern Regional Science Association, as well as a member of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and the Regional Science Association International.

Selected Publications

Gibbs, R., L. Kusmin, and J. Cromartie. 2005. Low-Skill Employment and the Changing Economy of Rural America, ERR-10, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Gibbs, R. 2005. "Education as a Rural Development Strategy," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, November.

Gibbs, R., L. Kusmin, and J. Cromartie. 2004. "Low-Skill Jobs: A Shrinking Share of the Rural Economy," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, November.

Gibbs, R. 2004. "Reconsidering the Southern Black Belt," Review of Regional Studies, 33(3):254-263, Winter.

Gibbs, R. 2004. Rural Education at a Glance, RDRR-98, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Gibbs, R. 2003. "Rural College Graduates Make a Comeback," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, September.

Whitener, L., R. Gibbs, and L. Kusmin. 2003. "Rural Welfare Reform: Lessons Learned?" Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, June.

Gibbs, R. and L. Kusmin. 2003. "Low-Skill Workers are a Declining Share of All Rural Workers," Amber Waves, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, June.

Gibbs, R. 2003. "Rural Schools in a Changing Economy," in Agriculture as a Tool for Rural Development: Workshop Proceedings, K. Clancy, S. Grow, and L. Oberholtzer, eds. Arlington, VA: Wallace Center for Agricultural and Environmental Policy.

Gibbs, R. 2002. "Rural Labor Markets in an Era of Welfare Reform," in Rural Dimensions of Welfare Reform. B. Weber, G. Duncan, and L. Whitener, eds. Kalamazoo, MI: Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, pp. 51-76.

Gibbs, R. and T. Parker. 2002. "Nonmetro Earnings Continue Upward," Rural America 17(2):58-60, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Lahr, M., and R. Gibbs. 2002. "Mobility of Section 8 Families in Alameda County," Journal of Housing Economics 11:187-213.

Gibbs, R. 2001. "Nonmetro Labor Markets in the Era of Welfare Reform," Rural America 16(3):11-21, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Gibbs, R., and T. Parker. 2001. "Nonmetro Earnings Continue Upward Trend," Rural America 16(2):38-40, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Gibbs, R. 2001. "New South, Old Challenges," Rural America 15(4):2-6, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

Cook, P., and R. Gibbs. 2001. "Late 1990s in the Rural U.S.: Period of Moderate Growth," Economic Trends 1:72-77.