When Social Capital Becomes Political Capital
Understanding the Social Contexts of Minority Candidates' Electoral Success in the American States
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18929366 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kenicia Wright (0000-0002-5727-5908, University of Central Florida, corresponding author), Ling Zhu (0000-0002-7046-9635, University of Houston) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 373-401 |
| Publication date | 2021-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Race Ethnicity and Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2056-6085 • E-ISSN: 2056-6085 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/rep.2020.12 |
| OpenAlex | W3089142454 |
| Language | CA |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 108 |
Political scientists have long been interested in studying the elective office-holding of disadvantaged groups. However, this line of research primarily focuses on the representation of ethnic minorities in the U.S. Congress and identifies three types of determinants of minority candidates' electoral success: the demographic and political make-up of constituents, candidates' personal traits, and macro-level electoral rules. Much less attention is given to minority candidates' electoral success in statehouses. In this paper, we ask: what factors promote the electoral success of minority candidates in state legislatures? Beyond voter characteristics and electoral rules, we attribute minority candidates' electoral success to the social capital possessed by their in-group constituents. We theorize that social capital manifested as civic engagement and social connectedness, can become political capital for minority candidates. Using the Current Population Surveys Civic Engagement Supplement, we validate state-level measures of social capital by race and ethnicity. Linking group social capital to state legislative election outcomes, we find the stock of minority social capital contributes to the electoral success of minority candidates, while white social capital decreases minority candidates' electoral success. Key findings suggest social capital is a form of political capital for disadvantaged groups with private benefits for in-group candidates
Civic engagement · Demographic economics · Disadvantaged · Economic growth · Economics · Ethnic group · Financial capital · Human capital · Individual capital · Legislature · Minority group · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social capital · Social mobility · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Capital and Networks
Black Faces, Black Interests
Minorities and Representation in American Politics
To Vote or Not to Vote
"It Takes a Village to Raise a Child"
Culture and Institutions
Inequality in Social Capital
Faces of Inequality
Politics in Black and White
Racial Diversity and Social Capital
Exchange and Power in Social Life
Social Capital
Bowling Alone
Race, Redistricting, and Representation
Multiracial Coalitions in City Elections Involving Minority Candidates
Black Representation On City Councils
Demand and Supply
Identity and coalitions in a multiracial era
Social capital and solving the puzzle of Black women's political participation
Neighborhood Attachment, Social Capital Building, and Political Participation
Racial Transition and White-Voter Support for Black Candidates in Urban Elections
Election Systems and the Representation of Black Women in American State Legislatures
The Historically Black College as Social Contract, Social Capital, and Social Equalizer
Inequality in Social Capital
Latinos and Substantive Representation in the U.S. House of Representatives
Church Attendance, Social Capital, and Black Voting Participation
Coming Together to Punish Others
Left Out
Linking indigenous bonding and bridging social capital
Managing Social Capital and Diversity for Performance in Public Organizations
Black Faces, Black Interests
Social capital, institutions and trust
Voice and Equality
Agenda Setting and Legislative Success in State Legislatures
Black and Latino Voters in Denver
Black-Latino Political Relationships
Reconciling Family Roles with Political Ambition
The presence of women candidates and the role of gender in campaigns for the state legislature in an urban setting
Women of Color in State Legislatures
Equal Participation but Separate Paths
Minority Representation under Cumulative and Limited Voting
The Roles of Party Organizations, Party-Connected Committees, and Party Allies in Elections
Party Control of Party Primaries
"Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent "Yes
Race, Referendums, and Roll-Off
At-Large Elections and Minority-Group Representation
African American Churches and Political Mobilization
Where Turnout Matters
The Impact of At-Large Elections on the Representation of Blacks and Hispanics
Candidate Gender and Congressional Campaign Receipts
The Primary Reason for Women's Underrepresentation? Reevaluating the Conventional Wisdom
Redistricting and the Causal Impact of Race on Voter Turnout
Social Capital, Racial Context, and Incarcerations in the American States
Social Capital in the 50 States
Linking Social Capital to Political Participation
E Pluribus Unum
The Wielding Influence of Political Networks
Always Running
Give Us Your Tired, Your Poor and We Might Buy Them Dinner
Coalitions in the House
The Importance of Race and Ethnicity in Congressional Primary Elections
It Takes a Black Candidate
Trained for Democracy
Race and Turnout
Social Networks and Political Participation
Social Capital, Racial Diversity, and Equity
Belonging and Doing
White Voters and African American Candidates for Congress
Racial Prejudice, Partisanship, and White Turnout in Elections with Black Candidates
Reconsidering the Effects of Bonding Social Capital
Cause or Effect? Turnout in Hispanic Majority-Minority Districts
Social Capital and Racial Inequality in America
The Ethnic Dimensions in Social Movements
The Policy Priorities of African American Women in State Legislatures
Structural Choices and Representational Biases
Measuring Citizen and Government Ideology in the American States, 1960-93
Individual-Level Evidence for the Causes and Consequences of Social Capital
Black Politicians Are More Intrinsically Motivated to Advance Blacks’ Interests
The New Racial Calculus
The Context Matters
Irreplaceable Legislators? Rethinking Minority Representatives in the New Century
Ignorance Is Bias
Social Capital
Racing Toward Representation
Tuning In, Tuning Out
Social Capital, Social Networks, and Political Participation
Social Capital, Resource Mobilization and Origins of the Civil Rights Movement
Bowling Young
Candidate Emergence Revisited
Do Majority-Minority Districts Maximize Substantive Black Representation in Congress
Social Pressure and Voter Turnout
The Mobilizing Effect of Majority-Minority Districts on Latino Turnout
Racial Redistricting and African-American Representation
Minority Representation in Multimember Districts
Diversity of a Different Kind
The Ties That Bind and Those That Don't
Foundations of Social Theory
Faith and Works
Religion, networks, and neighborliness
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |