Hometown Inequality - Brian F. Schaffner, Jesse H. Rhodes, Raymond J. La Raja

Hometown Inequality

Race, Class, and Representation in American Local Politics
Buch | Hardcover
272 Seiten
2020
Cambridge University Press (Verlag)
978-1-108-48594-4 (ISBN)
109,95 inkl. MwSt
Americans express great confidence in local government. But is this confidence warranted? Using big data, this book examines racial and class inequalities in representation across US municipalities. We find that non-whites and less-affluent residents are consistent losers in local democracy. We suggest revisions to reforms to enhance political equality.
Local governments play a central role in American democracy, providing essential services such as policing, water, and sanitation. Moreover, Americans express great confidence in their municipal governments. But is this confidence warranted? Using big data and a representative sample of American communities, this book provides the first systematic examination of racial and class inequalities in local politics. We find that non-whites and less-affluent residents are consistent losers in local democracy. Residents of color and those with lower incomes receive less representation from local elected officials than do whites and the affluent. Additionally, they are much less likely than privileged community members to have their preferences reflected in local government policy. Contrary to the popular assumption that governments that are “closest” govern best, we find that inequalities in representation are most severe in suburbs and small towns. Typical reforms do not seem to improve the situation, and we recommend new approaches.

Brian F. Schaffner is the Newhouse Professor of Civic Studies at Tufts University. He is co-author Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail, which was the winner of the 2016 Virginia Gray Best Book Award. He is also co-editor of Winning with Words: The Origins & Impact of Political Framing and co-author of Understanding Political Science Research Methods: The Challenge of Inference. His research has appeared in more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and has received over $2 million in external grant funding. Jesse H. Rhodes is Professor of Political Science and Department Chair at University of University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Associate Director of the UMass Poll. His research focuses on struggles over policy development and the consequences of these battles for politics and citizenship. He is the author of An Education in Politics: The Origin and Development of No Child Left Behind and Ballot Blocked: The Political Erosion of the Voting Rights Act, along with more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles. Raymond J. La Raja is Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Associate Director of the UMass Poll. His research focuses on political parties, political participation, and campaign finance. He is co-author of Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail, winner of the 2016 Virginia Gray Best Book Award, and a co-author on policy reports from the Brookings Institution. He is founding editor of The Forum, a journal on American politics, and past President of the Political Organizations and Parties section of the American Political Science Association.

1. Race, class, and representation in local government; 2. Studying inequality in representation in local government: a new approach; 3. Municipal politics as sites of racial and class contention; 4. Local political participation, municipal elections, and the prospects for representation in local government; 5. Racial inequality in representation on municipal councils and in policy; 6. Predictors of racial inequality in representation; 7. Economic inequality in representation on municipal councils and in policy; 8. Predictors of economic inequality in representation; 9. Race, class, and representation in local politics; Bibliography; Index.

Erscheinungsdatum
Zusatzinfo Worked examples or Exercises
Verlagsort Cambridge
Sprache englisch
Maße 158 x 235 mm
Gewicht 500 g
Themenwelt Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie
Sozialwissenschaften Politik / Verwaltung
Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie
ISBN-10 1-108-48594-4 / 1108485944
ISBN-13 978-1-108-48594-4 / 9781108485944
Zustand Neuware
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