URBAN REGIMES AND RACIAL POLITICS IN NEW-ORLEANS

This paper describes and analyzes the nature of the New Orleans urban regime focusing on the first term of Sidney Barthelemy, the second bla ck mayor of New Orleans (1986-1990). First, because the authors believ e that regime theory needs to be more carefully theorized in relation to racial politics, they begin by discussing the changing relationship of blacks to the prevailing New Orleans regime. Second, in analyzing this racial politics, they focus on the relationship between the evolv ing structure of the electoral coalition, governing coalition developm ent strategies, and the stability of the governing regime. They conclu de that a caretaker regime is very difficult to maintain in a city wit h a recent majority black electorate. Such an electoral coalition has a tendency to support either a progressive or corporate regime. Finall y, the authors pay particular attention to the development of the cons ensus-seeking para-apparatus, its relationship to racial politics, and its effect on development policy, governing coalition politics, and r egime transition.