Research

Dissertation Project 

Symbols over Substance: Shifts in Legislative Attention to Race 

Abstract: With thousands of policy problems, many topics never make it to the legislative agenda, despite pressure from constituents. Across the literature, there are general theories of agenda-setting, but very few scholars have rigorously investigated the unique conditions that govern access to the agenda for issues of race. Through theory-informed text analysis, I demonstrate that, with attention to the words in the bill text, we can track legislative attention to race. I created a racialized language tool that measures the magnitude and frequency of racialized words in a legislative text. Using this racialized language tool, my dissertation project questions: “How has legislative attention to racial issues changed over time?” My results demonstrate that legislative attention to race is increasing over time. In four states, this result is driven by resolutions, which is symbolic legislation that does not carry the full weight of the law. However, in Congress, we see an increase in attention to race in both symbolic resolutions and substantive bills, but this legislation rarely passes. While symbolic policies about race are not meaningless, resolutions and other symbolic policies are not substitutes for impactful legislation that could influence racial inequalities. My work analyzing legislative attention to race reveals enduring issues of representation and responsiveness to Black constituents. 

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Publications on race, inequality, and public policy

Amber Mackey and Daniel Gillion (2023). Income Inequality and Government’s Attention to Racial and Ethnic Minority Policies. Oxford Handbook on Methodological Pluralism.  (Forthcoming)

The Keys to the Jail: How New Orleans Can Sustain Jail Reforms through Better Governance,” Article in collaboration with the Bureau of Governmental Research. September 2022