The Underrepresentation of Blacks on City Councils: Comparing the Structural and Socioeconomic Explanations for South/Non-South Differences

Abstract

The more extensive use of at-large elections and the greater disparity in politically relevant socioeconomic resources each have been cited as the primary reason why blacks are underrepresented more severely on city councils in the South than on those outside the South. These two explanations for the regional difference in black councilmanic representation are compared through a design which treats electoral arrangements and resource disparities as specifying variables affecting the rate at which minority votes convert into minority council members. The findings show that the more severe underrepresentation in the South is explained best by the differences in electoral arrangements.