1 of 1
Story summary
- Declining coal towns force local leaders to fill gaps left by industry dominance.
- Hoover Institution fellow Elizabeth Mitchell Elder examined the coal-industry fallout in Appalachia and the Midwest on May 4, 2026, noting mistrust.
- Her book *Company Towns: Industry Power and the Historical Foundations of Public Mistrust* traces how single-industry dominance shaped community attitudes toward government.
- The discussion appears in the Hoover Institution’s Matters of Policy & Politics podcast series.
