Electoral politics is not enough
Subtitle: racial and ethnic minorities and urban politics
By: Peter F. Burns.
Series: SUNY series in African American studies; SUNY series in urban public policy; SUNY series on urban public policy.
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 192
ISBN-13: 9780791466537
Subjects: African Americans -- Suffrage; Hispanic Americans -- Suffrage; Political participation -- United States; Minorities -- United States -- Political activity; Proportional representation -- United States; Representative government and representation -- United States; Local government -- United States; Sociology, Urban -- United States
Description: "Focusing on four medium-sized northeastern cities with strong political traditions, Electoral Politics Is Not Enough analyzes conditions under which white leaders respond to and understand minority interests. Peter F. Burns argues that conventional explanations, including the size of the minority electorate, the socioeconomic status of the citizenry, and the percentage of minority elected officials do not account for variations in white leaders' understanding of and receptiveness toward African American and Latino interests.

Drawing upon interviews with more than 200 white and minority local leaders, and through analysis of local education and public safety policies, he finds that unconventional channels, namely neighborhood groups and community-based organizations, strongly influence the representation of minority interests."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Representation of minority interests; title: Variation among the Northeastern cities; title: Awareness of African American and Latino policy preferences; title: Responsiveness to African American and Latino interests; title: How African Americans and Latinos gain policy responsiveness; title: Urban regime theory and the representation of minority interests.