A big question

It's become a bit of an annual ritual for AFSC in WV to collaborate with the WV Center on Budget and Policy on a "State of Working West Virginia" report. Each one usually has a theme. This year, it's a perennial question about the Mountain State: why is West Virginia so poor?

The report has four parts, including a historical overview (written by yours truly); a look at contemporary data, a statistical regression analysis of factors affecting policy, and policy recommendations to reduce poverty.

In the first section, I tried to explore the two leading explanations for that poverty: culture vs colonialism. You can guess which side I lean towards. If you're really bored, check it out.