Emerging Influentials In State Legislatures

Although representation by women, blacks, and Hispanics in state legislatures has increased greatly in recent decades, the significance of these gains has not been systematically evaluated. Albert Nelson's study explores several important questions in this area: Does greater representation in fact result in proportionally greater influence in political parties and policy outcomes? How do party affiliation, gender, and other variables affect the political fortunes of these groups? And what is the impact of party affiliation on their turnover rates in legislatures? Nelson scrutinizes the factors that influence minority and female incorporation into the legislative process, including opportunity and incentives, party affiliation, religion, employment, and cultural elements. He examines differences in legislative representation in the North and South. In addition he assesses party representation according to gender, minority group, and political affiliation and investigates differences in turnover rates between Democrats and Republicans. Nelson explains how these elements translate into practical political results in both legislatures and the power base provided by political parties. The final chapter provides an overview of Nelson's findings and identifies promising areas for continuing research. Based on a statistical analysis of state legislatures in the 1980s, this book will be a useful resource for scholars and students in political science, the social sciences, minorities studies, and women's studies.

This book examines how legislature rules affect the behavior of its members and policies.

Comprehensive study of the state of black state legislative politics.

This book chronicles the kinds of changes that have occurred on the "demand" and "supply" sides of American state government. It assesses the consequences of those developments for the quality of statehouse democracy and the ability of state governments to govern responsibly and effectively.

A pioneering study of leadership styles at the state level

Winner of the 2006 V.O. Key Award presented by the Southern Political Science Association This authoritative study of contemporary state legislatures in the South provides a fascinating account of how African Americans have achieved noticeable political power since the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965. A history of racial discrimination and one-party Democratic dominance is being supplanted by African American empowerment in a competitive two-party system. Contributors examine the evolution of the Black Caucus, the growing number of African American lawmakers, and the rise of black legislators to important leadership positions in the legislatures of each of the southern states. Roll call data on key votes from several legislative sessions in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas are analyzed.

This is a study of the different leadership styles of men and women in American politics. Providing close studies of key state legislatures, Professor Rosenthal provides an insight into the workings of the largest cohorts of women in institutional leadership roles. Her work represents a contribution to understanding gender, organizational leadership, and legislatures.

Has black inclusion in the political process changed political institutions and led to more black influence in the governmental process? How do African American legislators balance racial interests with broader issues of government? And how is their effectiveness subjectively perceived and objectively evaluated? In one of the first book-length studies to analyze the behavior of African American state legislators in multiple legislative sessions across five states, Kerry Haynie has compiled a wealth of valuable data that reveals the dynamics and effectiveness of black participation in the legislative process. Owing to the increasing role of state government in administering what he defines as key "black issues"-- education, healthcare, poverty/social welfare, civil rights, and children's issues--Haynie focuses on bills introduced in these categories in Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina. The book reveals how responsive political institutions have been to the nation's largest minority group. It explores the question of how legislators deal with the "duality dilemma"--which requires them to be both responsible legislators and race representatives--and whether agendas should be "deracialized" in order to appeal to a broader constituency. Along with numerous statistical charts illustrating everything from representation on house standing committees to a ranking of the fifteen legislative sessions by quartiles of African American political incorporation, a useful and revealing portrait emerges--one that will fuel debate and inform future discussions of the role of African Americans in the political process.