Suchergebnisse

THIS STUDY EMPLOYS DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS TO TEST THE CAPACITY OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND REGIONAL VARIABLES TO PREDICT CITY GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE-MAYOR VERSUS MANAGER GOVERNMENT, PARTISAN VERSUS NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS, AND WARD VERSUS AT-LARGE COUNCIL CONSITUENCIES. AMBIGUITIES IN THE EXISTING LITERATURE REGUARDING THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF ETHNICITY VERSUS REGIONALISM ON STRUCTURAL REFORM ARE CLARIFIED.

NATIONAL REFORM OF ELECTION LAWS CONCERNING MINORITIES' RIGHT OF REPRESENTATION IN LOCAL ELECTIONS HAS ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF THE SIZE OF THE ELECTION DISTRICT INVOLVED. BECAUSE MINORITY VOTING STRENGTH IS ALLEGED TO BE DILUTED IN LARGER DISTRICTS, IT HAS BEEN PRESUMED THAT MINORITIES ARE BETTER REPRESENTED IN SINGLE-MEMBER, RATHER THAN IN AT-LARGE, VOTING DISTRICTS. HOWEVER, A SURVEY OF CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OF 25,000 AND ABOVE FOUND NO SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONSTITUENCY SIZE AND THE PERCENTAGE OF BLACK REPRESENTATION ON CITY COUNCILS. FOR THIS REASON, THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT MINORITY ELECTORAL SUCCESS IS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO THE SIZE OF THE CONSTITUENCY IN THE ELECTION DISTRICT.