BOOK REVIEW
By JOHN S. JACKSON III

Redistricting revisited

Anna J. Merritt, ed. Redistricting: An Exercise in Prophecy,
Urbana: Institute of Government and Public Affairs
and the Department of Journalism, 1982. 133 pp.

THIS IS an important book for anyone interested in the topic of redistricting in Illinois. For those interested more broadly in the subjects of "Illinois Government and Politics," it fits under the category of nice to know but not essential reading.

The volume grows out of a 1981 conference on redistricting sponsored by the Department of Journalism and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. The introduction is written by Thomas B. Littlewood and Samuel K. Gove, the widely respected heads of those two units. The conference was directed mostly at the media who had to cover the 1980 redistricting story in Illinois, and I am confident it served its purpose of raising the participant's level of information concerning the redistricting process. It is still a very useful resource book of basic information on the 1981 experience, the historical predecessors to that experience, and the constitutional and legal rules that control the game. Ironically, the book will continue to be relevant for a decade but will also become dated very soon for its original audience. The redistricting fight is over. Mike Madigan was declared the winner, and the media will now go on to other stories with scarcely a backward glance. However, 10 years from now this book should enjoy something of a renaissance as we collectively look back and learn from 1981 as we get ready for the 1991 redistricting process. Perhaps we should have another look at this book as we try to understand the results of the 1982 election in Illinois. Just as importantly, the public policy payoffs from redistricting remain to be seen in 1983-90. These policy and payoff questions are little covered in the book beyond vague references to the interests of Chicago, versus the suburbs, versus downstate. In spite of its subtitle, there is actually very little "prophecy" in the book.

The individual selections in the anthology are of very uneven quality. By far the most important and cogent selection is Paul M.

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Green's lead article, "Legislative Redistricting in Illinois 1871-1982," which is an important contribution both historically and analytically. His "three conflicting historic themes [of]: territory vs. population, geography vs. party, and incumbent vs. challenger" were an important integrating contribution. Indeed, these themes are reasonably well-known, but Green delineates them well and then applies them to the continuity and change which has been the story of redistricting politics in Illinois. He also weaves these themes into the continuing struggles between Illinois' three major subdivisions, i.e. Chicago, the suburbs and downstate. This article is worth the price of the book and should be the standard work in this field for the next decade.

Despite the quality of Green's article, what the book lacks is a coherent framework or outlook or organization. The rest of the selections are generally about redistricting but they are scattered, often repetitious and of uneven quality. The second most important contribution in the book is John O'Loughlin's "The Art and Science of Gerrymandering." He makes some very important points about the inevitably political nature of the redistricting process. "Gerrymandering" lies in the eye of the beholder and in the eye of one who has just lost political advantage in the exercise. The vaunted ideals of "neutral" maps are probably impossible to realize, and parties, incumbents and groups are always going to struggle for advantage. What's more, that may not be all bad. Douglas N. Kane's article makes the same points. More importantly, Kane's conclusion raises the intriguing philosophical question of where the "public interest" is in all this, and he suggests that this struggle for partisan and personal advantage is in the public interest and that the two are not mutually exclusive. O'Loughlin and Kane both provided a touch of realism for those who would get carried away with righteous indignation condemning the "politics" inherent in the process.

Curtis C. Roseman's and Robert Ferber's articles are on population trends and the census data both nationally and in Illinois. The important points from both were made in Green's article. These articles were probably important backdrops for the conference, but are nonessential material in the book. Robert T. Starks' article on "Reapportionment and Black Politics" is interesting because it provides case-study "proof" of the propositions advanced by Green and O'Loughlin. Starks makes it plain that he (and black people?) will settle for nothing less than proportional representation of black representatives in all legislative bodies as the standard for judging the fruits of redistricting. Roseman oversimplifies and overstates his case with ideological fervor.

Finally James Verhulst's article on "The Law and Reapportionment in Illinois" coupled with the two appendices are useful resources that should be preserved by all those who will be dealing with this subject. Judges, lawyers, legislators and their staffs should have occasion to refer to these items as basic resource materials over the next decade. One curiously missing element is any clear identification of the authors. What were their affiliations, credentials and backgrounds?□

John S. Jackson III is professor of political science and acting dean of the Graduate School, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

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