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From Barrios to Condos: The Effects of Gentrification on Minority Descriptive Representation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 December 2018

Jason Casellas  and
Markie McBrayer
Jason Casellas
Affiliation:
University of Houston
Markie McBrayer*
Affiliation:
University of Idaho
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Markie McBrayer, Department of Political Science and Philosophy, University of Idaho. E-mail: mmcbrayer@uidaho.edu
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Abstract

Academics, practitioners, and community activists have hotly debated the effects, both positive and negative, of gentrification. Still, political scientists have yet to fully weigh in on the phenomenon. Here, we assess how gentrification affects descriptive minority representation. We find evidence that gentrification negatively impacts minority descriptive representation, specifically black descriptive representation. Gentrification that results in a growing white population negatively affects the election of black councilmembers, and the effect is particularly pronounced when the black population is close to losing its dominance (i.e., it comprises roughly half of the area's population). In contrast, the election of Latino councilmembers is not affected by a growing white population. This suggests that gentrification resulting in demographic shifts has varying effects on descriptive representation, depending on the race and ethnicity of the councilmember and neighborhood, and thus warrants greater attention from political scientists.

Keywords

Gentrificationdescriptive representationminority politics
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , March 2019 , pp. 216 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2018 

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