Posted: July 14th, 2022

Social Equity in Public Administration

SOCIAL EQUITY IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
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Abstract
In any society, public administration plays an essential role in governance. Many factors such as the implementation of government policies, welfare initiatives as well as facilitation of public programs rely on it. The United States is home to diverse groups of people from different origins. Thus, the government needs to serve every citizen equitably. As such, all groups must be represented equally regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or social-economic status. The implementation of government policies must pay attention to existing social cultures. Social equity, therefore, tries to solve existing disparities by bringing equality to people in areas of sexual, orientation, race, and social-economic status in the communities. This paper seeks to explain how social equity impacts public administration in the US. Also, it will indicate what has been done, possible solutions to the problems, and provide a recommendation that can solve the problem of social inequality.
Keywords: Social equity, public administration, government policies, social culture

Social Equity in Public Administration
Public administration plays an essential role in every society. In the increasingly divisive world, inequality issues are at the center of policy debates and public frustration concerning various social problems. The unequal access of healthcare and educational resources, increasingly widening income gaps, and tensions between social groups and race occupy the forefront of conversations for the public agencies seeking to solve them. Thus, social equity has been an ongoing debate in the United States (US) public administration system. The US government has continuously made attempts to bridge the social gaps existing in public administration. Although the government has made significant progress, issues involving gender, economy, communities, race, social and digital inequalities still exist. Hence, organizations may be filled with majority groups while minority group are left out. As such, it is essential to have all groups represented and their interests protected. This paper seeks to explain social equity as a pillar of public administration and mention areas that lack public equity. Also, I will discuss the importance of social equity in administration and suggest possible solutions to solve social equity problems.
Background to Social Equity
Social equity was brought into the picture to be the fourth pillar of public administration in the 1960s. However, it struggles to find its place as an equal pillar compared to the traditional public administration values of efficiency, economy and effectiveness (Norman-Major, 2011, 233). The theory was introduced as a pillar by Minnowbrook scholars of New York. The meeting resulting in the pillar’s adoption was meant to discuss a new direction and public administration practice. In the gathering, the scholars argued that despite efficiency, economy and effectiveness were important pillars in public administration, it was essential to consider who the administration served (Norman-Major, 2011, 234). However, the scholar’s real intent was to practice social equity theory and not only consider who the administration catered for. Thus, the struggle to adopt and implement the approach started with scholars for the government to consider who it served.
Definitions of Social Equity
Although social equity has many definitions, the meanings are centered on the basic principles of justice and fairness. Thus, according to the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), refers to social equity as a critical pillar essential in public administration crucial in addressing issues of justice, fairness and equity in all public contexts such as policing, welfare, transportation, housing and education (“Social Equity in Governance”, n.d., n.p.). In this case, equity represents the habit and spirit of justness and fairness and doing the right thing to regulate human interactions as an encoded rule of doing to other people what we would like to receive on our end. However, as there is no clear definition of the theory that would guide transparent practices, it is hard for administrators to implement the values encoded in social equity effectively. According to Norman-major (2011, 237), administrators’ challenge is bringing social equity to an equal level with efficiency, economy, and effectiveness. Besides, the concept of social equity raises questions on what it should look like and the specific role the government should play in establishing it as it is defined. Thus, government administrators struggle with the appropriate implementation of social equity.
However, a better definition can help in the call for action from public administrators. Johnson and Svara (2011, 282) provide a better definition of describing how to implement social equity effectively. They define social equity as an active commitment to fairness, justice, and equality. In the development of public policy, public services delivery, public policy execution, and the management of all organisations serving the public directly or by contract. Hence, Public officials should avoid and minimise discrimination, unfairness and oppression, including all those participating in public administration. Further, public administrators are expected to foster equality in rendering and access to services and social outcomes. As such, it is also paramount for the officials to promote public participation in political processes and personal exercises that are of constructive gain (Johnson and Svara, 2011, 282). Thus, public administrators act as key stakeholders in public administration. Therefore, this definition serves as a call for action in the promotion of social equity in shared governance.
Definition of Public Administration
Public administration which is also referred to as governance, plays an essential role in every society. Governance is involved in the planning, organization, direction, coordination and control of government operations that implement policies that affect the public (“Public administration”, 2020, n.p.). In all nations, public administration is administered at different levels such as intermediate, central, and local level. Thus, services such as establishing public programs and policies aimed at serving the general public are part of the public administrative work. Civil services that include services offered by disciplined forces, judiciary and firefighters fall under the same category. However, civil service in the United States is based on merit. Over the years, the US public administration has used many theories significantly changing the role of government due to changes in economy and population (“Public administration”, 2020, n.p.). Nevertheless, the four critical pillars of public administration remained the critical themes in public governance.
Besides, in public administration, the lack of social equity can be attributed to the confusion over a clear definition of the term. The other public administration pillars have clear explanations that governments can put into practice, but there is a limitation regarding social equity. This barrier is what makes it challenging to engage in social equity practices in public administration actively. According to NAPA (2020, n.p), social equity issues encompass racial and gender-based social and economic disparities; income and wealth; community-based disparities; and, ultimately, digital disparities. The social equity problem has deep roots in our society and has left a marginalized and unprotected group in our nation. Also, the differences cause high costs on the overall economy and not only on the groups experiencing the harm firsthand (“Foster social equity”, 2020, n.p.). Therefore, organizations, administrators, and public agencies are responsible for ensuring that all social groups are protected and fairly treated. Although there are minor variations in definitions, the descriptions provide a summary of the heart at the center of social equity in public administration.
Importance of Social Equity in Public Administration
While the US has made considerable strides in extending access to opportunity for more people and residents, we continue to struggle to ensure that public policies and services that minimize or eradicate inequalities, marginalization, and inequality are equitably planned and enforced. These problems are essential in that they affect different aspects of society in different ways. Thus, NAPA (2020, n.p.) identifies and lists all public administration challenges that concern social equity. Regarding gender and race, it is essential to consider public sectors such as education, housing, environment, social services, the criminal justice system, transportation and healthcare. Besides, income gaps and wealth leaves many American citizens behind based on their geographical location, gender or race. Thus, several groups of people are sidelined; hence they cannot participate in political processes (“Foster social equity”, 2020, n.p.). Moreover, the digital divide continues to widen with many US communities facing inequalities in public sectors as the economic and social disparities are getting worse since the financial crisis. Also, due to the differences, organizations face challenges of ageing populations, economic and health problems, posing a substantial burden on the society.
Moreover, public areas are faced with rampant disparities due to failures by administrators to tackle the problems. According to Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams (2019, 284), there are many inequalities in education based on race, social,-economic status, ethnicity, and gender concerning academic achievements, physiological and mental health concerns as well as rates of high school graduation. Also. For minorities, the pay gap continues to increase. According to Treadwell (2019, 208), African American and Latino women in similar roles get paid less than white women. These discoveries demonstrate that wage disparity, and maybe by extension preferences in recruitment or promotions, is a pervasive characteristic of jobs in health care systems.
Similarly, there is a disparity in salaries based on gender as men are paid more than women creating financial gaps. Treadwell (2019, 208) further argues that the economic gap between women and men is large enough to contribute to poverty to some groups. Hence, public administrators would reduce the level of poverty in women, together with their families, would be reduced if they received equal compensation with men in similar roles. It would also reduce the existing financial gap.
Additionally, the healthcare system is not exempt from disparities. Inequalities in the healthcare system impact healthcare providers, care processes, as well as health outcomes. As such, many of these adverse health effects are due to the embedded social-cultural factors in the healthcare system (Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, 2019, 284). Besides, nonspecific definitions of the inequalities in health leave room for ambiguity. As a result, there is an argument on whether the disparities should be considered health injustices or looked at as mare variations on health outcomes (Braveman, Kumanyika, Fielding, LaVeist, Borrell, Manderscheid, and Troutman, 2011, S149). Thus, inequalities are a unique subset of disparities of a particular significance, since they may emerge from deliberate or unintentional prejudice or marginalisation and are likely to perpetuate social disadvantage and vulnerability to specific groups. Moreover, according to Johnson and Svara (2011, 123), the disparities are evident in healthcare insurance schemes regarding either underinsured or uninsured insurance status altogether. Therefore, to achieve equity in health, public policies require contextually relevant and clear definitions to help develop specific objectives and priorities to assigning limited healthcare resources.
On the other hand, social disparities are widespread in public housing. According to Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, (2019, 284), the inequalities in public housing result from negative stereotypes and disapproval based on ethnicity, race and social,-economic status. However, the government is doing little to address the eternal problems of public housing.
Furthermore, there are widespread inequalities in how people are treated in the criminal justice system. Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, (2019, 284), argue that the disparities in the criminal justice system are evident in all levels of the system, from the point of contact with the police to the court system and rehabilitation system and societal reentry. Also, activities which are initiated by police such as higher stops and arrest of targeted minority groups indicate injustices as a result of police racial profiling. Also, Johnson & Svara (2011, 20) argue that the enforcement of immigration laws, racial profiling and disparities in a criminal prosecution are all avenues through which the criminal justice system fosters inequality. Thus, a good understanding of the societal problems on equity confronting the criminal justice system can establish fair processes and outcomes for all citizens.
Additionally, there are inequalities in representations in state and national government. There are challenges in implementing a diverse and inclusive workforce at national, regional, and state government levels. As such, African American and Latino women are underrepresented in specific public service sectors (Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, 2019, 284). However, regarding representation, the main challenge is combining all minority groups to determine a figure to set aside instead of determining the number of representations based on ethnicity.
Besides, it is hard to quickly determine whether there is an underrepresentation of a particular public administration group. According to Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, (2019, 284), the African American population is highly represented in the housing and urban development department and education. The Hispanic representation is highest in the homeland security department, while Asian representation is highest in the commerce department. Moreover, the navy has a high representation of Pacific Islanders, while the American Indian population is highly represented in the department of health and human services. On the other hand, women are highly represented in the department of education, treasury, and health and human services. In 2016, people of color in the federal workforce was made up of 35.9 per cent, while women were represented by 43.2 per cent of all employees. As such, these findings indicate an apparent inconsistency in the representation of minority groups in government personnel. Thus, various inequities in public administration and various policy fields cause harm to marginalized and oppressed populations (Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, 2019, 284). Although the US government has introduced numerous policies to foster change in public administration, there are still challenges that curtail proper implementation of the guidelines. As such, implementing non-discriminatory policies, inclusion and initiating affirmative action are some of the solutions that have been applied to achieve social equity in the US.
Past Solutions to Issues on Social Equity
Designing and implementation of social equity policies have played a vital role in the fight against inequalities. This is evident in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s, which among other things allowed women to practice their right to vote. The policies envisaged by the implementation of the act were considered nondiscriminatory. Moreover, the development of inclusion policies was designed to allow women of color and other minority groups to get into public service positions by affirmative action.
Besides, majority of policy attempts to increase the participation of women and people of color in public service started with the intention of ensuring non-discrimination, centered on initiatives to strengthen recruitment affirmatively, and then ended with a declarative emphasis on inclusiveness by promoting diversity (Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, 2019, 285). These methods were used interchangeably with the aim of receiving different results. The primary approach to fostering social equity was through non-discriminatory policies such as the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Both of these Acts influenced recruitment practices at state, local and national levels of government.
Additionally, affirmative action implementation ensured that fostered more inclusivity in the public service for women and persons of color. To achieve its goals, the office of personnel management supported the regulations put forward by the 1978 Civil Service Reform act aimed at fostering inclusivity. According to Blessett, Dodge, Edmond, Goerdel, Gooden, Headley, Riccucci, and Williams, (2019, 285), the removal of discriminatory barriers and the emphasis on recognizing differences while fostering an atmosphere of a shared respect for diversity helped facilitate the participation of minorities and women in public service. However, implementation of the policies has not effectively created a socially equitable public service, and as such, there is more improvement required to achieve the envisaged targets.
Possible Solutions
Representative bureaucracy is one way of achieving active representation. According to Liang, Park, & Zhao (2020, 1), a representative bureaucracy composed of all groups in the population fosters better service to diverse interests of all the people in the population. Besides, Riccucci & Van Ryzin (2016, 8) argues that having a diverse workforce fosters the capacity to accomplish the agency’s mission by fulfilling the client’s needs and inspiring public trust. Thus, it is easier to address the needs of all groups by allowing for an active representation.
Secondly, the theory of representative bureaucracy can be used to foster distributional equity. Thus, the effects of bureaucratic representation can be moderated by distributional equity in the allocation of public resources (Liang, Park, & Zhao, 2020, 1). This approach will solve some issues such as public housing, gaps in education, healthcare disparities and the digital divide. Also, it will foster an equal distribution of resources to all groups.
Moreover, another solution is the design and implementation of policies fostering the promotion of equity. According to Liang, Park, and Zhao (2020, p), public administrators need to assess existing inequalities and find ways to implement policies that foster increased representation of minority groups resulting in changes in the entire bureaucratic system. Besides, minority groups are underrepresented in public service. However, a shift in the level of representation has a significant effect on social equity promotion.
Recommendation
One of the approaches that can be utilized to achieve social equity in the US is educating people and public service personnel on the importance of serving people equally. Providing a practical approach through which administrators can use would foster social equity across different groups. Also, conducting more research on social equity is important in identifying ways through which future administrators and general population would bring social equity to the same level as other pillars in public administration.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, although social equity has been an ongoing debate in the US, there have been significant strides to bridge social inequalities in public administration. Having clear and contextual definitions of social equity would also push the pillar to the same level as efficiency, economy and effectiveness. However, the issues fostering social inequalities are rooted in American society. Disparities in the criminal justice system, education sector, healthcare system, and economic disparities can be solved by enacting social equity policies. Also, as public administrators play an essential role in bridging social inequality, increasing representation of the marginalized groups in public service would help solve the problem.

References
Blessett, B. et al., 2019. Social Equity in Public Administration: A Call to Action. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 2(4), pp. 1-17.
Braveman, P. A. et al., 2011. Health Disparities and Health Equity: The Issue Is Justice. American Public Health Association, 101(1), pp. S149-S155.
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2020. Public administration. [Online]
Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-administration
[Accessed 18 January, 2021].
Johnson, N. J. & Svara, J. H., 2011. Justice for All: Promoting Social Equity in Public Administration. s.l.:Taylor & Francis Group.
Liang, J., Park, S. & Zhao, T., 2020. Representative Bureaucracy, Distributional Equity, and Environmental Justice. American Society for Public Administration, 18 February. pp. 1-13.
National Academy of Public Administration, 2020. Foster Social Equity. [Online]
Available at: https://www.napawash.org/grandchallenges/challenge/foster-social-equity
[Accessed 19 January, 2021].
National Academy of Public Administration, n.d. Social Equity in Governance. [Online]
Available at: https://www.napawash.org/working-groups/standing-panels/social-equity-in-governance
[Accessed 18 January, 2021].
Norman-Major, K., 2011. Balancing the four Es; or can we achieve equity for social equity in public administration?. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 17(2), pp. 233-252.
Riccucci, N. M. & Van Ryzin, G. G., 2016. Representative Bureaucracy: A Lever to Enhance Social Equity, Coproduction, and Democracy. American Society for Public Administration, pp. 1-10.
Treadwell, H. M., 2019. Wages and Women in Health Care: The Race and Gender Gap. American Journal of Public Health, pp. 208-209.

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