Interracial Conflict and Interracial Homicide: Do Political and Economic Rivalries Explain White Killings of Blacks or Black Killings of Whites?

Abstract

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.