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Sixty years of the Voting Rights Act: progress and pitfalls

Author

Listed:
  • Andrea Bernini
  • Giovanni Facchini
  • Marco Tabellini
  • Cecilia Testa

Abstract

We review the literature on the effects of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), which removed formal restrictions to Black political participation. After a brief description of racial discrimination suffered by Black Americans since Reconstruction, we introduce the goals that the VRA was meant to achieve. Next, we discuss the local level impact of the law on political participation and representation, on public goods provision and policing practices, and on labour market outcomes. We then turn to Whites’ reactions, from political realignment to electoral counter-mobilization to changes in voting rules and arrests patterns. We conclude by discussing how the evidence reviewed in this article can inform policy-making and the design of legislation aimed at reducing racial discrimination and inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Bernini & Giovanni Facchini & Marco Tabellini & Cecilia Testa, 2024. "Sixty years of the Voting Rights Act: progress and pitfalls," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 40(3), pages 486-497.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxford:v:40:y:2024:i:3:p:486-497.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/oxrep/grae026
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