An Empirical Examination of Representational Equity in Consolidated Governments, 1965–2002. Issue 6 (November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Acuff, Christopher
• Is Part Of: Urban affairs review. Volume 58:Issue 6(2022)
• Page Start: 1523
• Page End: 1553
• Publication Date: 2022-11
• Subjects: consolidation -- representation -- local government; City planning -- Periodicals; Aménagement urbain; Développement urbain; Planification urbaine; Politique urbaine; Recherche; Sociologie urbaine; Urbanisme; Ville; États-Unis; Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 307.76
• DOI: 10.1177/10780874211041043
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1078-0874

Abstract

Research on the impacts of city–county consolidation often focuses on issues relating to efficiency, effectiveness, and economic development; yet, relatively few studies have addressed the issue of racial and ethnic minority representation. Although existing research is limited, findings indicate that consolidating city and county governments dilutes minority voting strength and has a disparate impact on minority representation. However, it is not clear if this is a nationwide trend, particularly in preclearance states previously covered by the Voting Rights Act. Thus, the question becomes, does consolidation negatively affect minority representation, and to what extent? This study employs a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series analysis to ascertain the overall impact of consolidation on the descriptive representation of African Americans since 1965. Results indicate that while descriptive representation has generally increased in recent decades, there are discernible declines following consolidation and noticeable representational disparities in counties previously covered by the Voting Rights Act.