9423639 Perry This research project analyzes, within the framework of pluralist theory, the impact that black political participation has had on the governmental allocation of benefits to blacks in 14 U. S. cities for the period 1945-1994. The study provides a comparative longitudinal analysis of the impact of black political participation on the governmental allocation of benefits to blacks in these 14 cities and examines the value of pluralist theory for explaining the observe impact. Methodologically, the study employs pooled time series analysis to examine the relationship between black political participation and the governmental allocation of benefits to blacks over the 50-year time frame of the study. Multiple regression will be used to determine how much of the variance in the governmental allocation of benefits to blacks is explained by black political participation, at specific time points (one year time points), as compared to other independent variables which may also affect the governmental allocation of benefits to blacks. This project should substantially enhance our understanding about black politics and urban politics. ***
