Using big data, this book reveals stark racial and class inequalities in representation in local governments across the United States.

Brian F. Schaffner is the Newhouse Professor of Civic Studies at Tufts University. He is co-author Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail, which was the winner of the 2016 Virginia Gray Best Book Award. He is also co-editor of Winning with Words: The Origins & Impact of Political Framing and co-author of Understanding Political Science Research Methods: The Challenge of Inference. His research has appeared in more than 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and has received over $2 million in external grant funding.

1. Race, class, and representation in local government; 2. Studying inequality in representation in local government: a new approach; 3. Municipal politics as sites of racial and class contention; 4. Local political participation, municipal elections, and the prospects for representation in local government; 5. Racial inequality in representation on municipal councils and in policy; 6. Predictors of racial inequality in representation; 7. Economic inequality in representation on municipal councils and in policy; 8. Predictors of economic inequality in representation; 9. Race, class, and representation in local politics; Bibliography; Index.