Electoral Structure and Urban Policy: Impact on Mexican American Communities

This book examines how electoral structure, representation styles and policy outputs affect the Mexican American community in Texas. In so doing, it makes a major contribution to the larger study of minority politics in the context of urban electoral and political structures.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables and Figures, Foreword by Kenneth J. Meier, Preface and Acknowledgments, 1. Introduction, 2. The Jurisprudence of Voting, 3. Electoral Structure and Minority Representation: A General Description, 4. Electoral Structure and City Council Member Attitudes, 5. Electoral Structure and School Board Member Attitudes, 6. Electoral Change and Policy Impacts in Cities, 7. Electoral Change and Policy Impacts in Schools, 8. Summary, Conclusions, and Policy Recommendations, Appendix A: City/Town Council Members Questionnaire, Appendix B: School Board Members Questionnaire, References, Index

About the Author :
J. L. Polinard is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Texas-Pan American. His research interests are in the areas of public law and minority politics. He has published in Publius, Social Science Quarterly, Social Science Journal, State and Local Government Review, and Western Political Quarterly. Robert D. Wrinkle is a Professor at the University of Texas-Pan American, where he teaches in the Master of Public Administration program. Among his teaching and research interests are public policy and urban politics. He is the editor of Politics in the Urban Southwest and has published in State and Local Government Review, Urban Law Review, Western Political Quarterly, Social Science Journal, and Social Science Quarterly. Tomas Longoria is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His primary interests are in urban policy and urban politics. He has published in Urban Affairs Quarterly, State and Local Government Review, Western Political Quarterly, Social Science Journal, and Social Science Quarterly. Norman E. Binder is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas at Brownsville. His research interests include minority and ethnic politics as well as Latin American politics. He is the author of a study of Mexican American office holding in south Texas.