Lifestyle options and economic strategies: Subsistence activities in the Mississippi Delta

"Subsistence" and "informal economy" are contrasted in their utility as soc iological concepts and their ability to explain a variety of activities in two rural Mississippi Delta communities. Literature on subsistence stresses that the desired outcome of participation is not an increase in income but the social rewards of participation itself. Two underlying dimensions of p articipation in these activities are documented through the literature and through a confirmatory factor analysis of empirical data: lifestyle choice and economic strategy. These were constructed into indexes and examined ind ividually and in combination as dependent variables using regressors at the community, household, and individual levels. Community ties were weakly as sociated with participation in such activities. Whites and those with highe r incomes participated more in lifestyle choice oriented activities. Partic ipation in general was statistically related to households needing less wee kly income and being of larger size. Potential connections with persistent rural poverty are discussed.