Over the past 16 years, only two building permits for new housing construction have been issued in Sedgwick County, Colorado. This is consistent with the depopulation (particularly of younger persons) and economic diminution that is attributed to a declining rainfall since the 1970s. These are quantitative details. It is unclear how much of the depopulation was due to perceived opportunities elsewhere, to copycat or fad behavior, and to perceived change in local economic opportunity. Is qualitative analysis more likely to identify the leading cause of Sedgwick County’s out-migration than are quantitative econometric methods? Why or why not? Which characteristics of qualitative research exerted the most influence as you formed your view on this topic?
