NCJ Number
38773
Date Published
1974
Length
141 pages
Annotation
THE ORIGINAL CONTENTION OF THIS URBAN STUDY WAS THAT AN INTERDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP EXISTED BETWEEN RIOT SEVERITY (DURATION) AND PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES FOR SERVICES UNDER ATTACK BY GHETTO RESIDENTS.
Abstract
TO DEMONSTRATE WHETHER PER CAPITA EXPENDITURE DIFFERENTIATION WAS A CONTRIBUTING CAUSE FOR VARYING DEGREES OF RIOT SEVERITY THE FOLLOWING HYPOTHESIS WAS PROPOSED AND TESTED: RELATIVELY HIGH PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH RELATIVELY LOW RIOT SEVERITY; AND CONVERSELY, RELATIVELY LOW PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH RELATIVELY HIGH RIOT SEVERITY. GOVERNMENTAL RESPONSE TO GHETTO DEMANDS BEFORE THE 1967 RIOTS OUGHT TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO LOWER ANTAGONISM AND SHORTER RIOT DURATION WHERE RELATIVELY HIGH EXPENDITURES HAD BEEN MADE. WHEN RIOTING, AS A BARGAINING TOOL, WAS ADDED TO THE BARGAINING PROCESS, A SECOND HYPOTHESIS WAS PROPOSED AND TESTED: CITIES WITH RELATIVELY HIGH RIOT SEVERITY OUGHT TO HAVE PRODUCED GREATER CHANGES IN PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES AS COMPARED TO CITIES WITH RELATIVELY LOW SEVERITY. IN SHORT, THE LONGER THE RIOT DURATION, THE GREATER THE CHANGES IN PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES. EACH OF 43 SELECTED CITIES WAS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO SIMILAR BARGAINING CHARACTERISTICS - FORMS OF GOVERNMENT, PREVIOUS AND NO PREVIOUS VIOLENCE, AND SINGLE OR MULTIPLE 1967 RIOT INCIDENTS. IN ALL CASES EXCEPT THREE, THE FIRST HYPOTHESIS HAD TO BE REFINED TO HIGH PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH RIOT SEVERITY AND LOW PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LOW RIOT SEVERITY. USING THIS REFINED HYPOTHESIS, SIMPLE CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS SUGGESTED A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RIOT SEVERITY AND TWO INDEPENDENT VARIABLES (POLICE PROTECTION AND HOUSING AND URBAN RENEWAL) AND ONE INTERVENING VARIABLE (PERCENT OF BLACKS). SIMPLE CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS FOR THE TWO YEARS AFTER THE RIOTS DEMONSTRATED THE NEED TO LIMIT THE SECOND HYPOTHESIS TO POLICE PROTECTION, FIRE PROTECTION (THE FIRST YEAR ONLY), AND SANITATION (THE FIRST YEAR ONLY IN SINGLE RIOT CITIES). ALL OTHER SIMPLE CORRELATIONS FOR EXPENDITURE CHANGES PROVED TO BE WITHOUT STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. IN ADDITION, PARTIAL CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATED THAT PERCENT OF BLACKS REMAINED A CONSTANT FACTOR IN THE BARGAINING PROCESS SUGGESTING THAT THE IMPACT OF BLACK PERCENT WAS AN UNCHANGED VARIABLE. APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE COPIES OF THE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES USED IN THE STUDY, TABLES OF THE DATA USED, AND AN EIGHT-PAGE SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)