Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration

Social Equity of Public Participation Environments

Jill Clark

John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University

Kip Holley

K. Holley Consulting, LLC

Glennon Sweeney

Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

Camryn Reitz

Ohio State University

Alannah Glickman

the Gephardt Institute

Christina Allen

Food Leads

Jason Reece

Ohio State University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jsepa.v2i1.5229

Keywords: public participation, social equity, power, inclusion, civic engagement

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Abstract

To address the lack of research on institutional barriers to public participation, we examine participation environments by studying neighborhood commissions. Using the Strategic Action Field Framework for Implementation Research, we illustrate how city-level policies interact with commissions and organizational-level driving forces to create experiences for citizens. Data were analyzed using structural and elaborative coding and suggest there is value in using the cultural frames of strict father and nurturing parent as an interpretive tool. The strict father frame shapes the environment via norms, policies, and practices, and communicates preferences for citizen identities. Time pressures reinforce this frame. To realize environments that advance social equity, findings reveal that three conditions must be present: a) nurturing parent norms, practices, and policies that are coupled with a consensus on the purpose of participation, b) mutual understanding of past racist policies, and c) trust between actors. Seven propositions are offered for further study.

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Author Biographies

Jill Clark, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University

 

Jill K. Clark (she/her) (clark.1099@osu.edu) is an Associate Professor at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University. Her research, public service, and teaching are in the areas of public participation and local governance, with a social equity lens. Clark was awarded the 2022 Excellence in Engaged Scholarship from the Engaged Scholarship Consortium. Clark is a longtime resident of the City of Columbus and has served as a neighborhood commissioner on a historic review commission.

Kip Holley, K. Holley Consulting, LLC

 

Kip Holley (he/his) (kholleyconsulting@gmail.com)is an independent consultant and the founder of K Holley Consulting, LLC. His primary areas of focus are developing civic engagement, organizational development, and civic leadership strategies to promote social justice. Kip has a background in social work, urban planning, and applied research.

Glennon Sweeney, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

Glennon Sweeney (she/her) (sweeney.270@osu.edu) is a senior research associate at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Her work focuses on the intersection of land use and development policy and metropolitan segregation with an emphasis on the role that suburban municipalities play in creating and maintaining metropolitan segregation through exclusionary land use policies. Glennon is a lifelong Columbus resident deeply involved in inclusive development initiatives in both Columbus and surrounding suburbs.

Camryn Reitz, Ohio State University

Camryn Reitz (she/her) (reitz.135@osu.edu) is an undergraduate research assistant at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Ohio State University. She is interested in learning about the policy-making process, the governing structures of different institutions inside and outside of government and improving public participation in the processes that define communities.

Alannah Glickman, the Gephardt Institute

Alannah Glickman (she/her) (aglickman@wustl.edu) is the Associate Director for Civic Engagement at the Gephardt Institute. She leads the institute’s civic engagement vision, strategy, and impact to advance the goals of educating all students for lifelong engaged citizenship and infusing civic engagement throughout the Washington University student experience.

Christina Allen, Food Leads

Christina Allen (she/her) (christina.allen422@gmail.com) is the Founder and Co-Executive Director of Food Leads. Christina is a recent graduate of The Ohio State University who is passionate about community empowerment and helping others establish a more nourishing relationship with food.

Jason Reece, Ohio State University

Jason Reece (he/his) (reece.35@osu.edu) is an associate professor of city and regional planning at the Knowlton School and a faculty affiliate at The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity. His work broadly focuses on social equity and justice in the context of planning history, theory and practice.

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