Upper-Middle-Class Politics and Policy Outcomes: Does Class Identity Matter?

Abstract

The political influence of the urban middle class (UMC) on US policy making is empirically investigated using a multiple-perspectives framework on policy outcomes & data from a cross-national sample of 42 urban transit agencies in large metropolitan areas. Analyses reveal the importance of the UMC on three hypothesized policy outcomes: strategic organizational effectiveness, operational efficiency, & social program effectiveness. Specifically, the greater the proportion of UMC individuals in an agency's service population, the more effective is the agency. The importance of the UMC factor over political power variables is also demonstrated for two out of the three policy outcomes. 3 Tables, 66 References. K. Hyatt Stewart