{"product_id":"company-towns-industry-power-and-the-historical-foundations-of-public-mistrust-paperback","title":"Company Towns: Industry Power and the Historical Foundations of Public Mistrust - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eElizabeth Mitchell Elder\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReveals the deep, historical roots of public distrust in former mining areas in the US, shedding new light on the corrosive feedback loops that persist today.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e In \u003ci\u003eCompany Towns\u003c\/i\u003e, Elizabeth Mitchell Elder examines the long-lasting political legacies of mining-company dominance in the Midwest and Appalachia. While the economic consequences of deindustrialization are well-known, Elder shifts the focus to a more insidious problem: the political dysfunction that took root long before the mines shut down. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Drawing on historical and administrative data, Elder shows that the coal industry hindered the growth of local government capacity in the places where it was dominant. Mining companies also engaged in outright corruption to shape local governments, practices which local elites then carried forward. When mining companies withdrew, they left behind not just economic decline, but local governments ill-equipped to govern. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e These patterns have had enduring consequences for public life. Elder shows how these historical experiences have fueled a broader cynicism toward government, in which citizens expect little from public institutions and doubt the usefulness of elections. \u003ci\u003eCompany Towns \u003c\/i\u003eunderscores the consequences of corporate dominance for state capacity, public opinion, and democratic accountability today. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eElizabeth Mitchell Elder \u003c\/b\u003eis a Hoover Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Her work has been published in the \u003ci\u003eAmerican Political Science Review, \u003c\/i\u003ethe \u003ci\u003eJournal of Politics, \u003c\/i\u003eand the\u003ci\u003e Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c\/i\u003e, among others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.45 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 09, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53756077572429,"sku":"9780226844534","price":67.13,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0927\/3304\/7117\/files\/CUefWs_PfQ9780226844534.webp?v=1776722058","url":"https:\/\/belfastbooks.us\/products\/company-towns-industry-power-and-the-historical-foundations-of-public-mistrust-paperback","provider":"belfastbooks.us","version":"1.0","type":"link"}