Oversight: Representing the Interests of Blacks and Latinos in Congress Book

List of Figures and Tables ix

Acknowledgments xi

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Voting as a Measure of Representation 5

Oversight as a Form of Political Representation 10

Strategic Group Uplift 12

Chapter Outline 14

Chapter 2: Race, Ethnicity, and a Theory of Substantive Representation in Congressional Oversight 16

Origins and Presence of Strategic Group Uplift in African Americans 18

Origins of Strategic Group Uplift for Latino Legislators 23

Hypotheses and Alternative Explanations 26

Conclusion 33

Chapter 3: Congress, Minority Interests, and Federal Policymaking 35

Congressional Intervention and African Americans 37

Mexican Americans and the Federal Government 45

Puerto Ricans and the Federal Government 46

Cuban Americans and Federal Government Intervention 47

Federal Interventions and Latino Interests 48

Federal Attention to Racial and Social Welfare Policies 50

Conclusion 52

Chapter 4: Black and Brown Voices in Committee Deliberations on Civil Rights 54

Measuring Advocacy of Minority Interests in Committees 56

Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Congressional Overseers and Legislative Responsiveness 60

Civil Rights Enforcement in the Clinton Years 63

Return to Republican Rule and the Fight for Minority Rights 66

Civil Rights Enforcement in the Post-9/11 Era 76

Beyond the Deliberations 80

Conclusion 82

Chapter 5: Congressional Oversight and Social Welfare Policy 84

Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Congressional Overseers 85

Congressional Attention to Social Welfare Issues and Legislative Responsiveness 88

Liberal Social Welfare Policy and the Clinton Years 90

Diversity of Perspectives and Challenging Negative Stereotypes in Social Welfare Debates 94

The Republicans? Contract with America and Retrenchment of Social Welfare Policies 97

Diversity of Perspectives in Deliberations 104

Social Welfare Policy in the Post-9/11 Era 106

Conclusion 111

Chapter 6: Conclusion 113

Implications for Racial, Ethnic, and Class-Based Politics 115

Implications for Coalition Politics 117

Implications for Political Representation 118

Legislative Responsiveness and Democratic Accountability 119

Legislators? Motivations and Strategic Group Uplift 120

Congressional and Bureaucratic Relations 121

Limitations of Strategic Group Uplift 122

Public Policy Implications 123

APPENDIX A Data and Methodology 127

APPENDIX B Coding Protocol for Congressional Hearings 132

APPENDIX C Racial/Ethnic Congressional Hearings Coded 134

APPENDIX D General Social Welfare Congressional Hearings Coded 136

APPENDIX E-G Likelihood of Intervention for Stronger

Enforcement of Civil Rights Policies 139

APPENDIX H-J Likelihood of Intervention for General Social Welfare Policies 142

References 145

Index 155