Race and Inequality in American Politics

Zoltan L. Hajnal is the author of several award-winning books, has published in the top political science journals, and has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and a range of other media outlets. He is actively involved in voting rights litigation and local election law reform. Vincent L. Hutchings was elected as a Fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) in 2012 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2022. Taeku Lee is Bae Family Professor of Government and President-Elect of the American Political Science Association. Prior to Harvard, Lee was Professor of Political Science and Law at UC-Berkeley for two decades.

'Like all countries, the United States is an imperfect union. But each union is imperfect in its own way; the U.S. shows a distinctive structure of liberal democratic aspirations overlaid on racial, ethnic, and class inequality. Coming from these authors, this book is our best guide to understanding how that conundrum plays out in politics, daily life, and policies. Students will gain invaluable insight by engaging with Race and Inequality in American Politics-and will learn ways to make our union less imperfect.' Jennifer Hochschild, Harvard University

• Preface; Part I. Diversity and American Democracy: 1. Setting the stage: diversity and democracy; 2. E pluribus unum: citizenship, demographic change, and diversity; 3. Democracy, inequality, and polarization; Part II. The Experience of Race in The United States: 4. How do individuals experience discrimination in the United States?; 5. How do institutions contribute to racism in the United States?; Part III. The Inputs of Democratic Decision-Making in A Racially Divided America: 6. Public opinion: divided by race?; 7. Political participation; 8. Media, campaigns, and the politics of race; 9. Race and elections; Part IV. Outcomes in American Democracy: 10. Do elected officials look like their constituents?; 11. Does government carry out the will of the people?; 12. Criminal justice; 13. Voting rights; 14. Race and the shaping of American social policies; 15. Diversity and democracy from the bottom up: the past, the present, and the future.