2
"Who governs" is a longstanding question in the study of political science (Dahl 1961).
For instance, early studies of who influences policy examined the distribution of influence
within municipalities (Dahl 1961; Polsby 1980), and the ability of interest organizations to
affect national policies (Schattschneider 1960; Lowi 1969). Several recent studies continue to
study this classic question as well. To cite a few examples, Hajnal, Gerber, and Louch (2002)
examined whether racial minorities tend to “lose” more often than whites on ballot
propositions; Jacobs and Page (2005) studied the influence business groups wield in the
shaping of foreign policy relative to the public in general; and Bartels (2002), Gilens (2004),
and others have analyzed disparities in political influence among the rich and poor (see also
APSA Task Force on Inequality and American Democracy 2004).
Although studies of “who governs” abound, there are few direct studies of which racial
group(s) govern. That is, few describe the extent to which racial groups are advantaged or
disadvantaged in procuring national policy outcomes they favor. This is an important
omission, given the centrality of race in American politics (Hutchings and Valentino 2004),
along with the many hurdles that racial minorities have had to overcome, and still face, in the
pursuit of political equality. While there are many reasons to anticipate that racial minorities
are less likely to come out on the winning side in the nation's policy decisions when minorities
and whites disagree, it is nonetheless important to document the extent to which racial
minorities are disadvantaged, and to assess how disparities in influence vary across policy
domains.
This study is a continuation of our ongoing effort to examine the political influence of
different racial groups. Among other things, our earlier work has found that African
Americans typically have less influence than whites over the roll call votes of their House
Convention