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Black Political Representation: An Examination of Legislative Activity Within U.S. House Committees
Author(s) -
GAMBLE KATRINA L.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
legislative studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.728
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1939-9162
pISSN - 0362-9805
DOI - 10.3162/036298007781699663
Subject(s) - legislature , representation (politics) , politics , race (biology) , scholarship , public administration , political science , work (physics) , house of representatives , sociology , law , gender studies , mechanical engineering , engineering
How minority legislators influence policy development in Congress remains a relevant question for those interested in race and political representation. This article addresses this question using evidence from participation in committee work—a vantage point that has received minimal attention in scholarship on black political representation. I interpret racial differences in participation in House committees across a range of policy areas, demonstrating that black members participate at higher rates within committees than whites on both black interest and nonracial bills. The results suggest that race has a substantive effect on members' policy priorities and their legislative activity within committees.