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The concept of deracialization is examined in an election in which all major candidates are black. Citizen characteristics and opinions expressed in a telephone survey are used to predict candidate preference. Findings indicate that race remains an important factor in electoral behavior, even when all candidates are black. The successful candidate, Maynard Jackson, drew support across race and class lines and may be said to have run a deracialized campaign. This research suggests that a clarification of the interaction of race and class and their effects in municipal elections is essential for understanding voting behavior and deracialization in city elections.

RECENT COMPARATIVE STATE POLICY STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES UPON POLICY SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS & POLICY OUTPUTS IN THE AMERICAN STATES. THESE STUDIES HAVE EMPHASIZED ECONOMIC VARIABLES AS PRIME ANTECEDENTS OF POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS & POLICY. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT CULTURAL VARIABLES ARE ALSO, PERHAPS EQUALLY, AS IMPORTANT. THE CULTURAL VARIABLES USED IN THESE LATTER STUDIES HAVE BEEN VERY GENERAL. THE IDENTIFICATION OF MORE PRECISE CULTURAL INDICES WHICH EFFECT POLITICAL SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS & POLICY OUTPUTS IN THE US WOULD PROVIDE MORE VALUABLE INFORMATION TO RESEARCHERS INVOLVED IN STUDIES OF THE INTERNAL FUNCTIONING OF STATE POLITICAL SYSTEMS. ONE SUCH CULTURAL VARIABLE, RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM (AFFILIATION WITH PROTESTANT SECTS BELIEVING IN THE LITERAL INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE), REPRESENTS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN STATE POLITICAL SYSTEMS. THE VALUES ESPOUSED BY A FUNDAMENTALIST SUBCULTURE HAVE INFLUENCED STATE LEGISLATION BEFORE (IE, BANNING STUDY OF EVOLUTION) & CONTINUE TO DO SO TODAY. SPECIFIC CULTURAL VALUES CAN BE IDENTIFIED & USED TO EXPLAIN STATE POLICY STUDIES. 2 TABLES. MODIFIED AA.

Models used to explain levels of community participation often incorporate demographic and contextual factors. Among empirical findings, the most consistent have been that participation rates are negatively associated with community affluence, and that a sense of community identity increases participation. This article examines community participation and influence in zoning decisions before and after implementation of a neighborhood planning system that facilitated community identification and information dissemination. Findings suggest that relatively innocuous changes in city governments' decision-making processes can increase equity in both community access and influence.

While Hispanic and other ethnic populations are becoming increasingly hetero geneous and dispersed throughout many metropolitan areas, most research on Hispanic self-help organizations focuses upon barrio setting. This article illus trates how socio-economic heterogeneity and geographic dispersal within a metro politan area necessitates adaptation in the roles of ethnic self-help organizations. A survey of Hispanics in the Atlanta metropolitan area reveals intra-urban migration patterns, trends in community identity, and variations in the utilization of Hispanic service agencies which guide a discussion of strategies that may be employed by ethnic self-help organizations in non-barrio settings.

Addressed is the general proposition that changes in leadership images precipitate changes in PO. An attempt is made to determine if changes in the levels of political trust expressed by black & white city residents can be attributed to the election of a city's first black mayor. The attitudes of black & white residents (N = 3,429 survey Rs) of Atlanta, Ga, before & after the election of a black mayor are compared, & changes occurring during the study period are compared to similar national data. Alternative explanations for the changes observed are explored. The data examined suggest that increased identification with city government among blacks is stimulated by the election of a black mayor. 4 Tables. Modified AA.

This article examines the relationship between number of city employees and city popu lation in order to assess arguments advanced by proponents of metropolitan governmental reform. It is found that bureaucracy size increases faster than population, implying dis economies of scale. Bureaucratic entropy is suggested as an explanation for the relation ship between bureaucracy size and city population, and several alternative explanations are examined. Variations in the mix of city services, demands for services, and the quality of services provided do not seem to be satisfactory alternatives to the entropy thesis. The analysis indicates that wholesale consolidation or enlarging of local governments would not increase economy and efficiency in service delivery. Reforms aimed at decentralizing labor-intensive functions and services while retaining or increasing centralization of capital-intensive functions and services are suggested.