Abstract
The Permian Basin is the lung of the oil industry in the United States. Despite being home to an extremely bustling economy, Ector County and the larger Permian Basin face persistent and deep rooted structural inequality and social issues. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines longitudinal data with (2009-2023) with qualitative interviews and media reporting, this study explores the relationships between poverty, education, drug use, teen pregnancy, income, and the effects of public investment within the Permian Basin. Despite rising household incomes and a strong job-market, the region experiences very low rates of educational attainment, high rates of adolescent pregnancy, and very high rates of substance abuse, especially among the youth population. This analysis reveals that these social issues are not necessarily caused by a lack of income or by a weak economy, or that the presence of higher incomes and economic opportunity eliminates the risk of these social issues, but that they stem from deeper deficits of access, opportunity, and community support. Particular attention is given to the role of recreational scarcity (or the lack of things to do), educational disengagement, and the role of neglect in these rural regions. What has been found through this study underscores the need for holistic, community-driven interventions that move beyond economic growth and prioritize human development, especially in education, youth engagement, and public investment. Findings also shed light on the role of pure economic growth and that it is not the end all be all of social prosperity and equity.
Presenters
William JonesResearch Fellow, Department of Economics, University of Houston, Texas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Rural, Oil, Youth, Unemployment, Mobility, Opportunity, Economy, Industrial, Social
