Faces of Inequality Social Diversity in American Politics [Paperback]

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.

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

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 Inequalityis atour 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 l£J