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1. Black empowerment and white mobilization: The effects of the Voting Rights Act

Author:
Andrea Bernini, Giovanni Facchini, Marco Tabellini, and Cecilia Testa
Publication Date:
07-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:
The 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA) paved the road to Black empowerment. How did southern whites respond? Leveraging newly digitized data on county-level voter registration rates by race between 1956 and 1980, and exploiting pre-determined variation in exposure to the federal intervention, we document that the VRA increases both Black and white political participation. Consistent with the VRA triggering counter mobilization, the surge in white registrations is concentrated where Black political empowerment is more tangible and salient due to the election of African Americans in county commissions. Additional analysis suggests that the VRA has long-lasting negative effects on whites’ racial attitudes.
Topic:
Race, Elections, Discrimination, Legislation, Voting Rights, Mobilization, Empowerment, and Political Participation
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

2. Race, Representation and Policy: Black Elected Officials and Public Spending in the US South

Author:
Andrea Bernini, Giovanni Facchini, and Cecilia Testa
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:
The Supreme Court has recently struck down key provisions of the Voting Right Act mandating federal scrutiny over states with a history of black disenfranchisement. How significant was the VRA for black political empowerment? Surprisingly, the answer to this important question remains largely moot. Using a novel dataset on the universe of local elected officials, we show that the VRA significantly boosted black representation in the immediate aftermath of its introduction. To identify the effect of the act we exploit the fact that a coverage formula was used to place a group of jurisdictions in the South – our treatment – under strict federal monitoring. Using non-covered counties of the former Confederacy as a comparison group, we find that larger pre–VRA shares of blacks led to a greater increase in black office holding in the treatment than in the control group. The impact of coverage was stronger in the presence of elections by single member districts. Finally, black representation led to greater provision of local public goods, particularly education.
Topic:
Race, Elections, Representation, Legislation, and Voting Rights
Political Geography:
United States of America