IN THIS PROJECT, WE SEEK TO UNDERSTAND HOW COMMUNITY- AND HOUSEHOLD-BASED ASSETS AFFECT LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES AMONG RURAL POOR. SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE CONSIDERING SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL CAPITAL, ALTHOUGH WE MAY GAIN INSIGHTS INTO OTHER ASSETS ALONG THE WAY. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES THAT POOR HOUSEHOLDS EMPLOY ARE INFLUENCED BY THE TYPE AND AMOUNT OF CAPITAL WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES. INEQUALITY IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF CAPITALS AMONG HOUSEHOLDS AND GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS ARE LIKELY TO CONSTRAIN HOW POOR HOUSEHOLDS PERFORM AND BENEFIT FROM ECONOMIC GROWTH, EVEN UNDER THE RIGHT NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVEL ANTI-POVERTY POLICIES.AN INTEGRATED, MIXED-METHODS (MM) RESEARCH APPROACH WILL BE USED TO ADDRESS THE STUDY'S RESEARCH OBJECTIVES. NATIONAL LEVEL ANALYSIS WILL BE BASED ON DATA FROM THE PANEL STUDY OF INCOME DYNAMICS (PSID) TO COMPARE THE LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES AND OUTCOMES OF THE RURAL POOR IN INDIANA TO THE U.S. AS A WHOLE. A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY, INCLUDING COMMUNITY SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS, AND FOCUS GROUPS, OF THREE RURAL INDIANA COMMUNITIES WILL ENABLE AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW BOTH COMMUNITY- AND HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCE THE ADOPTION AND EFFICACY OF VARIOUS HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES. THESE COMBINED METHODS WILL ALLOW US TO ASSESS HOW THE USE AND COMBINATION OF VARIOUS LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES IMPACTS THE POVERTY STATUS AND MATERIAL HARDSHIP OF THE RURAL POOR, AND DRAW IMPORTANT POLICY LESSONS REGARDING HOW THE U.S. SOCIAL SAFETY NET IMPACTS THE ABILITY OF THE RURAL POOR TO RESPOND TO ECONOMIC ADVERSITY. WE BELIEVE THAT THE WELL-BEING OF RURAL COMMUNITIES AND RESILIENCE OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS REQUIRES A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH POVERTY AND LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES. ADDITIONALLY, EFFICACIOUS AND COMPREHENSIVE POVERTY-REDUCTION POLICY NECESSITATES A BETTER, MORE NUANCED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW RURAL HOUSEHOLDS ARE ALREADY COPING WITH POVERTY AND WHAT COMMUNITY ASSETS ARE MOST EFFECTIVE AT SUPPORTING THEM.