HOUSEHOLDS IN RURAL AND AGRICULTURAL REGIONS DISPROPORTIONATELY LACK SUFFICIENT ACCESS TO BASIC PUBLIC SERVICES. WHILE SEVERAL FEDERAL EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE PROGRAMS SUBSIDIZE RURAL INFRASTRUCTUREN PROVISION, THE PERSISTENT RURAL INFRASRUCTURE DEFICIT IS AT ONCE A BARRIER TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC EQUITY. MY PROPOSED PRE-DOCTORAL RESEARCH USES QUALITATIVE METHODS TO EVALUATE CURRENT FEDERAL APPROACHS TO RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT: FIRST, THROUGH A NATIONAL-SCALE POLICY ANALYSIS WITH DELPHI-STYLE EXPERT INTERVIEWS, AND SECOND, BY COMPARING THREE CASE STUDIES OF FEDERALLYSUBSIDIZED, REGIONAL-SCALE DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS IN THE WESTERN US. THE PRIMARY GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO DEVELOP THE PD'S CAREER TRAJECTORY AS A RURAL POLICY ANALYST, AND TO BUILD A BASIS VIA APPLIED RESEARCH FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE FEDERAL POLICY APPROACH TO THE RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIT. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH ENGAGING POLICY EXPERTS AND LOCAL PRACTITIONERS IN A PROGRAM EVALUATION WHICH WILL PRODUCE THREE ACADEMIC MANUSCRIPTS, TWO PUBLIC REPORTS, AND PRESENTATIONS AT EIGHT CONFERENCES. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES CULTIVATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PD TO BUILD HER PROFESSIONAL NETWORK WITH LEADING EXPERTS (VIA A GRADUATE-LEVEL INTERNSHIP AT A POLICY INSTITUTE, THROUGH ITERATIVE DELPHI-STYLE INTERVIEWS, AND BY HOSTING AT LEAST ONE WEBINAR) WHICH WILL BE CRITICAL TO HER POSTDOCTORAL CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. IF FUNDED, THIS PROJECT WILL PRODUCE FINDINGS SALIENT TO LOCAL AND NATIONAL DEBATES, AND IT WILL DEVELOP THE PD'S PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY IN RURAL POLICY ANALYSIS.