Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP12774
Authors: Giovanni Facchini; Andrea Bernini; Cecilia Testa
Abstract: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 redefined race relations in the US South. Yet, evidence on its effect on black office-holding remains scant. Using novel data on black elected officials between 1962-1980, we assess the causal impact of the VRA on the racial make-up of local governments in the Deep South. Exploiting predetermined differential exposure of US Southern counties to the VRA mandated federal intervention, we show that the latter fostered local black office-holding, particularly in the powerful county commissions, controlling local public finances. The change in the racial composition of county governments led to faster capital spending growth.
Keywords: minority rights; enfranchisement; local elections; identity politics; public good provision
JEL Codes: D72; H7; J15; N92
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Voting Rights Act (VRA) (K16) | increase in black representation in local governments (H70) |
| increase in black representation in local governments (H70) | faster growth in local capital expenditures (G31) |
| share of blacks in a county in 1960 (R23) | black elected officials in covered states (K16) |
| covered counties with a larger preexisting black population (R23) | larger increase in black officeholding compared to non-covered counties (H73) |