Government Responsiveness in Race-Related Crisis Events (Democratic Dilemmas and Policy Responsiveness)

Government Responsiveness in Race-Related Crisis Events argues that decision-making in crisis events related to race and ethnicity (RRCEs) is distinctive based upon the historical treatment of people of color and current narratives surrounding race in the United States. The author presents racially sensitive crisis events, not as independent problems, but as symptoms of an underlying condition which began upon the country's founding. She contends public officials will need to recognize and draw upon the interrelated nature of these crises for effective solutions and introduces a decision-making model for race-related crisis events. The author uses grounded theory and a critical race lens to explore the decision-making of public officials in Alabama, South Carolina, and Mississippi concerning the removal of the Confederate Flag from state grounds in the aftermath of the 2015 Charleston Church Shooting.