ABSTRACT
Given the broader background of capital mobility of which the Monticello, Indiana case is just one among thousands, both research and public policy debate on plant closings remain vital for social scientists and political activists. The findings of the Monticello project encompass economic, health, social, psychological, and ideological impacts of the plant closing. Data indicated the negative consequences of the closing on social service agencies, local businesses, and economic and political elites’ expectations about the future. The experience of the plant closing led some workers to develop higher levels of worker consciousness, as reflected in their identification with common political and economic interests of workers. Dis-placed workers exhibited greater worker consciousness than was found among employed workers in the same community, indicating that the experience of the plant closing influenced their thinking about political and economic issues.
