We economists spend a lot of time looking at aggregates and averages—Trevon Logan likes to quote Robert Fogel on how counting is our secret game-changing analytical technique. But it is as important to get thick description of what happens to individual people's lives, so that you know what your aggregate and average numbers mean: Blythe George: “Them old guys... they knew what to do”: Examining the impact of industry collapse on two tribal reservations: "Using 46 in-depth interviews conducted on the Yurok and Hoopa Valley reservations...
...I answer the following research questions: is there an empirical basis for asserting a relationship between the decline of the logging industry and weakening of male labor force attachment, and for relating these economic shifts to changes in attitudes, expectations and behavior, including methamphetamine use since 1985? Using a cohort model, I describe the changes in male labor force attachment following the decline of the logging industry, as well changes in personal behavior, especially methamphetamine use from 1985 to present. These findings support existing theories of weak labor force attachment as a result of industry decline...
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