Soc Work. 2014 Jan;59(1):62-72. doi: 10.1093/sw/swt068.
Over the last five years, North Dakota has experienced an oil boom based on high oil prices and hydraulic fracturing technologies. This has brought economic expansion and population growth to rural communities that had previously experienced decades of depopulation and economic struggle. Although the state has enjoyed many benefits--especially in juxtaposition to a sluggish national economy--the boom has also meant the arrival of economic refugees and dramatic impacts on largely rural social service systems. In the midst of a rapidly changing situation, available information tends to swing between euphoria over economic success and hysteria about rising crime and shifting cultures. In response, the authors used a primary focus group with county social service directors from across the state and a followup focus group with social workers operating on the edge of oil activity. Grounded in resilience theory, qualitative analysis of the primary focus group, and triangulation of data from other sources, this study provides a more objective report of the housing and social challenges, the benefits of the boom, and the challenges to solutions.
在过去的五年里，北达科他州经历了一场基于高油价和水力压裂技术的石油繁荣。这为曾经经历了几十年人口减少和经济困境的农村社区带来了经济扩张和人口增长。尽管该州享有许多好处——尤其是与全国经济的低迷相比——但繁荣也意味着经济难民的到来，以及对主要是农村的社会服务系统产生了巨大影响。在这种快速变化的情况下，现有信息往往在经济成功的欣喜和犯罪率上升以及文化变迁的歇斯底里之间摇摆不定。为此，作者使用了全州各县社会服务主任的主要焦点小组，以及在石油活动边缘工作的社会工作者的后续焦点小组。本研究以弹性理论为基础，对主要焦点小组进行定性分析，并对其他来源的数据进行三角验证，客观地报告了住房和社会挑战、繁荣带来的好处以及对解决方案的挑战。
