Abstract
Using measures of the public’s spending preferences and actual federal budget appropriations
from 1973 to 1995, we evaluate whether white Americans are more likely than African
Americans to have their preferences realized in policy outcomes. We also compare the
influence of racial groups across policy domains to see whether there are some areas in which
African Americans exert greater influence than whites. We find that whites generally exert
more influence over federal spending policy. However, answers to the “who governs”
question vary across issue domains. In limited issue areas that are particularly salient for
African Americans, this group appears to exert greater influence than whites. These results
are robust to a series of controls for general public mood and real- world conditions.