Agenda setting and African American women in state legislatures
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Political scientists have, in recent years, uncovered substantial evidence that political representation in the United States is influenced by gender and race, yet generally examine the effects of gender entirely separate from the effects of race. In this article, we explore the agenda-setting behavior of African American female state legislators. We find that African American women do respond to both women's interests and black interests. We also find that while the sponsorship of black interest measures by African American women (or other legislators) is not influenced by the proportion of African Americans within the chamber, African American women are less likely to sponsor women's interest measures in legislatures with a relatively high proportion of women present. We conclude that because of their focus on multiple groups, black women occupy a unique place in representation, and that their choices are influenced by the institutional context in which they work. © Copyright (c) by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Bratton, KA; Haynie, KL; Reingold, B
Published Date
- August 29, 2007
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 28 / 3-4
Start / End Page
- 71 - 96
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1554-4788
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 1554-477X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1300/J501v28n03_04
Citation Source
- Scopus