Determining Coal's Place in the Appalachian Regional Commission and Its Impact on Poverty and Migration in Appalachian Kentucky

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the role of coal in the Appalachian Regional Commission's (ARC) discourse and to analyze the influence of coal on poverty and migration in Appalachian Kentucky. This is accomplished by using a thematic discourse analysis to discover coal's role in the ARC's discourse. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression is used to analyze coal's influence on poverty and migration in Appalachian Kentucky. During the course of my research I found four key themes that help to explain the ARC's discourse. These four themes are: (1) isolation and the road network have set the region apart; (2) energy investment brings coal center-stage but coal is not the only cause of Appalachia's economic fluctuation; (3) community involvement; and (4) economic diversification. After analyzing these four themes my conclusion is that coal has an important role in the ARC's discourse, as long as coal is important at the national level. Also, this study highlights a shift in the ARC's discourse in 1984, which moves the agency away from detailed analysis of the coal industry. According to my findings, coal's influence on poverty and migration in Appalachian Kentucky is minimal. During my OLS regression I discovered that a direct coal variable, such as the coal severance tax, is not significant in determining poverty. The variable that provides the most explanation is per capita income. This relationship confirms the commonly held fact that poverty and income are related. However, these results do show that there is instability in the region and this instability contributes to poverty in Appalachian Kentucky. This thesis provides a common ground for both the analysis of the ARC's discourse and the analysis of variables that may affect poverty in Appalachia. By showing coal's significance as a social and geographic constraint and not just an energy source, this study supplies information the ARC may be able to use to provide a more balanced assessment of how coal impacts the region.