- Economics
- State & Local
- Revitalizing American Institutions
America is a land dotted with so-called “company towns” – population centers where a single business or industry dominates not only the local economy, but government and community ethos as well. But what happens when a town and an industry in decline part ways, leaving it to local government and leadership to take up the slack? Hoover fellow Elizabeth Mitchell Elder discusses what transpired in those portions of America (Appalachia and the Midwest) once dominated by a since-diminished coal industry and the lack of institutional confidence that followed – her interviews, polling and data research chronicled in her new book, Company Towns: Industry Power and the Historical Foundations of Public Mistrust.
Recorded on May 4, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Elizabeth Mitchell Elder, a Hoover Institution fellow and political scientist, studies how and when Americans get the resources they need to participate in politics – and demand better outcomes from their elected officials. She is particularly interested in knowledge, efficacy, trust, and the role of place and social context in political attitudes.
RELATED SOURCES
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Elder, Elizabeth Mitchell. Company Towns: Industry Power and the Historical Foundations of Public Mistrust. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2026.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Matters of Policy & Politics, a podcast from the Hoover Institution, examines the direction of federal, state, and local leadership and elections, with an occasional examination of national security and geopolitical concerns, all featuring insightful analysis provided by Hoover Institution scholars and guests.
