White Violence, Black Victims: The Impact of Political and Economic Competition on Interracial Killings in 21st Century America

Abstract

Do political and economic rivalries promote interracial killings in 21st-century America? This article examines the determinants of disaggregated interracial killings in 1,381 U.S. counties by testing conflict-based accounts in an era of economic recession and unprecedented Black political mobilization. Results show that one dimension of racial conflict—political competition—is linked to interracial killings. Counties with mounting interracial rivalry in the political domain are significantly more likely to experience White perpetrated killings of Black residents and less likely to experience Black-on-White homicide offending. These results suggest that contests for political influence lead to greater interracial violence involving White perpetrators and Black victims.