Spatial Inequalities and Majority Preferences for Ethnic Minority Candidates

• In Event: Mini-Conference on Politics in Post-industrial Societies IV: Perceptions, Preferences & Partisanship in Diverse Societies

Abstract

What determines majority preferences for ethnic minority candidates? This paper suggests that spatial inequalities, understood as the level of ethnic segregation between white majorities and ethnic minorities, structure majority preferences regarding the selection of minority candidates.The prevailing literature on majority/minority voting preferences has thus far overlooked how spatial settlement patterns can structure these outcomes. Drawing on candidate selection data and local election outcomes in over 500 European cities, this paper puts forth a place-based explanation of voter behavior. It shows that in cities where majorities and minorities are spatially segmented, there is a majority backlash against minority candidates, compared with cities with similar demographic features and lower levels of segregation. This paper contributes to the literature on political behavior, political geography, and ethnic politics.

Author

• Selene Campion, University of Utah