TY - JOUR PY - 1999// TI - Interracial Conflict and Interracial Homicide: Do Political and Economic Rivalries Explain White Killings of Blacks or Black Killings of Whites? JO - American journal of sociology A1 - Jacobs, David A1 - Wood, K. SP - 157 EP - 190 VL - 105 IS - 1 N2 - What factors lead to interracial killings? Because racial conflict explanations have been overlooked in the previous literature, this article studies the determinants of disaggregated interracial killing rates in 165 U.S. cities by testing economic, political, and social control accounts. After holding the probability of interracial contacts and the total murder rate constant, the results show that cities with a black mayor and greater economic competition between the races have more white killings of blacks. The same hypotheses explain black killings of whites, but these killings are less likely in cities with black mayors. Police department size does not explain white killings of blacks, but cities with larger departments have fewer black killings of whites. The findings suggest that economic rivalries and contests for political influence lead to greater interracial violence.

LA - SN - 0002-9602 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/210270 ID - ref1 ER -