Race and Political Participation in Brazil, South Africa, and the United States

How is "race" connected to political participation? Previous research on race and political behavior focusing on the role of resources, mostly conducted in the USA, argue that racial group membership is not directly linked to political activism but it influences the acquisition or development of politically relevant resources; others suggest that identity is also a powerful force pushing minority groups to action. However, little is known about the role of race in other heterogeneous societies as Brazil and South Africa, countries experiencing different racial dynamics but also having race as an important stratification dimension. This study addresses how strong is race as a predictor of participation in political activities and associations in different contexts. Does race mediate the impact of resources on participation or are they orthogonal forces? Do members of different racial groups present different patterns of political participation? If so, why and how does it happen in different contexts? To address these issues, data from the 2010-2014 World Values Surveys are analyzed. The major findings highlight the context-dependent effect of race and other predictors on political behavior.