Faces of Inequality: Social Diversity in American Politics

"This is a provocative and important book that provides a new prism through which to view both state politics and public policy in America."--Paula D. McClain, University of Virginia. "This is a most exciting new book on state politics. . . . It offers fresh perspectives on standard treatments of state politics and is extraordinary well-researched. It is both a comprehensive survey of the field of American state politics and a fresh theoretical primer for understanding state policy dynamics."--Robert B. Albritton, Northern Illinois University.

Table of Contents:
1: Social Diversity and the Study of State Politics and Policy 2: The Social Diversity Interpretation in Perspective: Reviewing Other Approaches Explaining State Politics 3: Social Diversity and Political Institutions, Political Processes, and Attitudes 4: Social Diversity and Formal Institutions of State Government 5: Social Diversity and State Public Policies, I: Education, Health, Welfare 6: Social Diversity and State Public Policies, II: Other Politics 7: Social Diversity at the Substate Level 8: The Social Diversity Interpretation of State Politics and Policy in Perspective

About the Author :
Rodney E. Hero is Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is also the author of Latinos and the U.S. Political System (1992), which won the American Political Science Association's Ralph Bunche Award for 1993.

Review :
"Rodney Hero confronts directly the weaknesses of Elazar's political culture thesis as the explanation for state-level political behavior and public policy decisions. Building on V. O. Key's belief that race is at the center of Southern politics, Hero expands on Key to argue that race is at the center of state politics in general. This is a provocative and important book that provides a new prism through which to view both state politics and public policy in America."--Paula D. McClain, University of Virginia "Faces of Inequality is a tour de force. Hero's monumental theoretical contribution will force analysts of state-level politics and policies to rethink their simple regression models and include the key contextual variable for ethnic and racial diversity. We always had a suspicion that race and ethnicity mattered in American politics, but now we know the relationship is not always direct or one-to-one. Many 'faces' of inequality and racism persist in America regardless of the size of minority groups, thus casting serious doubt on the 'racial hypothesis' that so long dominated this literature. Just as Thomas Dye once pioneered the study of state-level politics and policy using socio-economic predictors, now Rodney Hero has inaugurated a new paradigm for scholars of the twenty-first century. This book will be essential reading for all serious students of state politics, comparative public policy, and issues of race and ethnicity."--Raymond Tatalovich, Loyola University, Chicago "Academics are finally relearning what politicians (and V. O. Key) have known all along--that the racial and ethnic composition of a state is crucial for determining the political structure and policy outcomes within that state. Rodney Hero has taken that insight well beyond the politicians' calculations to produce a striking account of how race matters. Faces of Inequality demonstrates the importance of making racial and ethnic identity a defining lens through which to look at politics, not just one item on a list of variables."--Jennifer Hochschild, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University "This is the most exciting new book on state politics. It should be a prize-winner! The book is a necessary supplement for all state politics courses. It offers fresh perspectives on standard treatments of state politics and is extraordinarily well-researched. It is both a comprehensive survey of the field of American state politics and a fresh theoretical primer for understanding state policy dynamics."--Robert B. Albritton, Northern Illinois University "Rodney Hero confronts directly the weaknesses of Elazar's political culture thesis as the explanation for state-level political behavior and public policy decisions. Building on V. O. Key's belief that race is at the center of Southern politics, Hero expands on Key to argue that race is at the center of state politics in general. This is a provocative and important book that provides a new prism through which to view both state politics and public policy in America."--Paula D. McClain, University of Virginia "Rodney Hero confronts directly the weaknesses of Elazar's political culture thesis as the explanation for state-level political behavior and public policy decisions. Building on V. O. Key's belief that race is at the center of Southern politics, Hero expands on Key to argue that race is at the center of state politics in general. This is a provocative and important book that provides a new prism through which to view both state politics and public policy in America."--Paula D. McClain, University of Virginia "Faces of Inequality is a tour de force. Hero's monumental theoretical contribution will force analysts of state-level politics and policies to rethink their simple regression models and include the key contextual variable for ethnic and racial diversity. We always had a suspicion that race and ethnicity mattered in American politics, but now we know the relationship is not always direct or one-to-one. Many 'faces' of inequality and racism persist in America regardless of the size of minority groups, thus casting serious doubt on the 'racial hypothesis' that so long dominated this literature. Just as Thomas Dye once pioneered the study of state-level politics and policy using socio-economic predictors, now Rodney Hero has inaugurated a new paradigm for scholars of the twenty-first century. This book will be essential reading for all serious students of state politics, comparative public policy, and issues of race and ethnicity."--Raymond Tatalovich, Loyola University, Chicago "Academics are finally relearning what politicians (and V. O. Key) have known all along--that the racial and ethnic composition of a state is crucial for determining the political structure and policy outcomes within that state. Rodney Hero has taken that insight well beyond the politicians' calculations to produce a striking account of how race matters. Faces of Inequality demonstrates the importance of making racial and ethnic identity a defining lens through which to look at politics, not just one item on a list of variables."--Jennifer Hochschild, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University "This is the most exciting new book on state politics. It should be a prize-winner! The book is a necessary supplement for all state politics courses. It offers fresh perspectives on standard treatments of state politics and is extraordinarily well-researched. It is both a comprehensive survey of the field of American state politics and a fresh theoretical primer for understanding state policy dynamics."--Robert B. Albritton, Northern Illinois University