Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration

Municipal Sustainability Plans and the Inclusion of Social Equity Initiatives

Valencia Prentice

Cleveland State University

Jie Tao

Tarleton State University

Mohamad Bamanie

King Abdulaziz University

Duchess Humphrey

Tarrant County Administrator's Office

Linwyse Joseph-Stanislaus

University of North Texas

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jsepa.v2i2.5509

Keywords: sustainability, social equity, equity-focused planning, local decision-making

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Abstract

This study investigates the factors that influence municipalities’ decisions to include social equity in their sustainability plans. The theoretical framework commonly used holds that community priority, administrative capacity, governing institutions, and social vulnerability matter. Although there is extensive literature supporting the influence of these factors in sustainability planning concerning economic development and environmental protection, few studies have investigated whether these factors explain decision-making related to the social equity dimension. Using logistic regression, this article tests these four theoretical explanations, to determine their applicability to equity-oriented sustainability planning. Results indicate that community priorities influence decision-making. When officials perceive that their communities prioritize social equity, they are much more likely to pursue equity-focused sustainability plans. Alternatively, when economic development is prioritized, equity strategies are less likely to be included in sustainability plans. The findings suggest possible policy tradeoffs among economic, environmental and equity goals.

 

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Author Biographies

Valencia Prentice, Cleveland State University

Valencia Prentice (v.prentice@csuohio.edu) is an Assistant Professor of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. She earned her PhD in Public Administration & Management with a specialization in Financial Management. Her research interests include local governance, wealth redistribution, the economics of nonprofits, property valuation impacts, and municipal budgeting.

Jie Tao, Tarleton State University

Jie Tao (jtao@tarleton.edu) is an Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Tarleton State University. He earned his PhD in Public Administration & Management from the University of North Texas. His research interests are broadly defined as public management, public policy, and smart cities.

Mohamad Bamanie, King Abdulaziz University

Mohamad Mahmoud Bamanie (mbamanie@kau.edu.sa) is an Assistant Professor at King Abdul-Aziz University. He received his PhD in Public Administration & Management with a specialization in Financial Management. His research interests include taxation, governance, and government effectiveness.

Duchess Humphrey , Tarrant County Administrator's Office

Duchess Humphrey (ddhumphrey2@tarrantcountytx.gov) is a pracademic serving as a Program Evaluator in the Tarrant County Administrator’s Office and adjunct faculty at the University of North Texas–Denton and at Texas A & M, Bush School of Government & Public Service. She specializes in public-nonprofit partnerships, public management, and governance.

Linwyse Joseph-Stanislaus , University of North Texas

Linwyse Stanislaus (linwysejoseph-stanislaus@my.unt.edu) is a student at the University of North Texas.

She earned her PhD in Public Administration with a concentration in Finance. She is currently obtaining

an Advanced Data Analytics certification. Her research interests are smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI)

and local government, and collaborative local government finances.

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