RACIAL RIOTING IN THE 1960S - AN EVENT HISTORY ANALYSIS OF LOCAL CONDITIONS

Using Spilerman's (1970b) data on the timing and locations of race rio ts from 1961 to 1968, I use event history analysis to investigate the effects of local conditions on city-level hazard rates of rioting. Fir st, several structural strain and social-psychological arguments, whic h were the focus of Spilerman's original studies, are reexamined in li ght of event history analysis. Second, I reinterpret ethnic competitio n arguments recently used to explain a wide variety of collective viol ence, and apply these ideas to the 1960s' riots. Third, I test two mod els of the diffusion of rioting. Like previous analyses, my findings f ail to support structural strain theories. Contrary to previous analys es however, the size of the non-White population is not the singular p redictor found for the 1960s' riot locations. Instead my results suppo rt both competition and diffusion arguments.