The econometric effects of the Voting Rights Act in the U.S. South
Keywords: Identity Politics
African American Representation
Local Elections
Media
Voting Behavior
Public Good Provision
Minority Rights
Elections
Enfranchisement
Conflict
Voting Rights Act

Chapter 1
The Voice of Radio in the Battle for Equal Rights: Evidence from the U.S. South
Although the 1960s race riots have gone down in history as America’s most violent and destructive ethnic civil disturbances, a single common factor able to explain their insurgence is yet to be found. Using a novel dataset on the universe of radio stations airing Black-appeal programming, the effect of media on riots is found to be sizable and statistically significant. A marginal (1%) increase in the signal reception from these stations is estimated to lead to a 7% and 15% rise in the mean levels of the likelihood and intensity of riots, respectively. Several mechanisms behind this result are considered, with the quantity, quality, and the length of exposure to radio programming all being decisive factors.
Chapter 2
Race, Representation, and Local Governments in the U.S. South: The Effect of the Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 redefined race relations in the U.S. South. Yet, evidence on its effect on African American office-holding remains scant. Using novel data on African American elected officials between 1962 and 1980, the causal impact of the Act on the racial make-up of local governments in the U.S. South is assessed. Exploiting predetermined differential exposure of southern counties to the Voting Rights Act, this chapter shows that the latter fostered local African American office-holding, particularly in the powerful county commissions, controlling local public finances. The change in the racial composition of local governments led to faster capital spending growth.
Chapter 3
Uneven Roads to Office? African Americans in Southern County Governments
A key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, known as coverage, was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013 as no longer needed. Yet, our understanding of its effects on African American descriptive representation remains limited. In particular, little is known about important bodies lying at the heart of local governments in the U.S. South. Using novel data on African American elected officials between 1962 and 1990, this chapter exploits geographic variation in coverage and pre-determined exposure to federal intervention to causally estimate its effects. Coverage led to significant but uneven progress in African American office-holding. Gains in county commissions were swift and substantial, whereas law enforcement and judicial bodies remained overwhelmingly white. Furthermore, African American human capital and political organizations magnified the impact of coverage, whereas a culture of white supremacy hindered it. Electoral rules more favorable to minorities were additional elements leading to larger gains from the Act.
Chapter 4
The Impact of the Voting Rights Act on Political Mobilization and CounterMobilization
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 facilitated the registration of African Americans, imposing federal scrutiny over the authority of local registrars. Conventional wisdom further attributes a number of important indirect effects to the Act in the U.S. South, including white counter-mobilization efforts and a long-lasting loss of support for the Democratic Party. Using a novel dataset on both southern county-level registration rates and party affiliations between 1956 and 1988, this chapter finds empirical support to both mobilization and counter-mobilization theories. And while the newly enfranchised African Americans unanimously voted for Democratic candidates, the white support for the Democratic Party fell significantly.
JEL classification: D72, J15, H70, N92 Keywords: Elections, Voting Behavior, Minority Rights, Enfranchisement