Black Lives Matter Where Black Votes Matter: Implications of Gerrymandering

• In Event: Redistricting, Gerrymandering, Competition and Representation in the USA

Abstract

Partisan gerrymandering does more than just tilt the distribution of political power. The consequences of misaligned political power include a disconnect between the provision of public goods chosen by those in power because of gerrymandering and the public goods desired by those voters who are disenfranchised or diluted by partisan gerrymandering. Here we specifically look at the direct connection between the provision of traditional public goods and policy outcomes in traditional black neighborhoods. We find that the communities that have been systematically disenfranchised also face a systematic failure of the provision of public goods and diminished policy outcomes.

Authors

• Charles Smith, University of California, Irvine

• Alex Keena, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Anthony J. McGann, University of Strathclyde

• Michael Latner, California Polytechnic State University