This research was undertaken to examine the impact of political, economic, and institutional variables upon black employment outcomes in several hundred American cities. The results reveal that public employee unions exert a significant negative impact upon black job success in unreformed cities. However, public employee unions do not influence minority employment patterns in reformed communities. These findings strongly suggest that a critical reevaluation of the conventional wisdom regarding the policy effects of reformed institutions is called for. © 1991, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.
