Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration

Women, Power, and Rape Culture: The Politics and Policy of Underrepresentation

Erynn Beaton — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

By Bonnie Stabile and Aubrey Leigh Grant

Westport, CT: Praeger, 2022.

216 pages, hardcover.

The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution

Sheldon Brennemann — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

By Eric Foner

New York: WW Norton & Company, 2019.

222 pages, hardcover.

Queer Data: Using Gender, Sex and Sexuality Data for Action

Seth Meyer — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

By Kevin Guyan
London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022.
241 pages, eBook.

Municipal Sustainability Plans and the Inclusion of Social Equity Initiatives

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

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.

#BlackLivesMatter: Where Do the Paradigms of Public Administration Fit?

Farzana Sharmin, Janek Sunga — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This study provides an in-depth analysis of problems and policy proposals related to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement in light of public administration (PA) theories. We examine the extant literature focusing on three PA paradigms: Classical, New Public Management (NPM), and Postmodernism (combined with New Public Administration—NPA). Based on a content analysis of BLM activists’ demands, Congressional bills, and resolutions, this study categorizes the problems and solutions according to the area of concern and PA paradigms. Results indicate that postmodern theories offer crucial lenses to understand BLM activists’ demands. However, Congressional bills and resolutions align more with Classical and NPM paradigms. We conclude that BLM policy proposals are more likely to be implemented if framed within NPM and “soft” postmodern perspectives. Similarly, policymakers and practitioners should know that the BLM movement reflects a postmodern approach. This study provides contributions that are relevant to both practitioners and academics.

Medicaid Expansion Case Study: Differences Between Florida and New York Medicaid Expansion Policy

Mary Zielinski, Jillian Harvey, Walter Jones, Jiebing Wen — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Health access is an essential aspect of social equity. Expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased healthcare access for more than 21 million people in the United States, and 10 states have chosen not to participate in Medicaid expansion. This study investigates the factors influencing states’ decisions on Medicaid expansion under the ACA and its implications for social equity. It uses a comparative case study of New York (expansion) and Florida (non-expansion) to reveal the complex determinants of Medicaid expansion decisions. These determinants are crucial for understanding and promoting social equity in pursuing public purposes. Political affiliations, lobbying, and a state’s economic climate significantly shape Medicaid policies. Unfortunately, grassroots advocacy groups encountered significant challenges in Florida, where health associations tended to align closely with their state political parties. Despite the challenges, organizations must advocate for improved healthcare access and Medicaid expansion to address social equity concerns.

Ambiguous Policies, Controversial Issues, and Strained Bureaucracies: Banning Critical Race Theory in Idaho

Luke Fowler, Jen Schneider — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Absent coping strategies, ambiguity strains administrative agencies and democratic institutions on multiple fronts, particularly where controversy is amplified by different ways of thinking that are incompatible with each other. This is examined using a case study of the implementation of Idaho’s House Bill 377 (HB377), the first state-level ban on “critical race theory” in public education in the United States. The brief and ambiguously written bill leaves a lot to be “figured out” by educators. Using a modified grounded theory approach, interviews with 10 faculty reveal how making sense of HB377 caused significant distress for faculty and strained their relationships with administrators. Findings suggest that this bill may have damaged higher education institutions in Idaho, particularly by creating low faculty morale among those teaching in areas newly perceived to be controversial. Conclusions consider implications for administrative agencies when faced with ambiguous laws and conflicting messages from elected officials.

Understanding the Determinants of School District Secessions

Christopher Tyler Burks, Peter A. Jones — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

School district secession occurs when a community splits from an existing school district and creates a new district. While rare, secessions are increasing in number and relevance, and previous work has shown that secessions have contributed to the resegregation of American schools. We build on prior research by exploring how state policy and political, economic, and racial factors influence the likelihood of secession attempts. School districts with declining enrollments and a more racially segregated student body were more likely to experience a secession attempt; we also show that state policy can restrict secession attempts. Advocates for secession often use race-neutral arguments about attaining local control or correcting diseconomies of scale. Results, however, suggest that political and economic rationales are less predictive of secessions than racial segregation. We conclude that secessions exemplify institutional racism when the formation of new boundaries follows the lines of de facto segregation and thereby excludes people of color.

Feminism, Foundations, and Social Change: Understanding Women’s Philanthropic Nonprofits

Elizabeth Gillespie, BJ Fletcher — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

It is crucial to understand the role of feminism in addressing social issues, particularly with the prevalence of feminist causes today. This necessitates examining feminist organizations within public administration that strive toward equity, and gender and social equality. It is also crucial to understand those institutions that have influence and resources to invest in social change. The intersection of these topics is found in women’s grantmaking foundations and funds (WFFs). This research explores how these organizations are 21st-century feminist organizations, the type of feminism they embody, and their role in—and contribution to—social change. Feminist organizations aim to advance gender, social equality, and equity despite being overlooked in public administration, philanthropy, and nonprofit literature. This research utilizes an exploratory and descriptive design to shed light on the current state of feminist organizations and foundations in public administration, filling critical knowledge gaps.

Universal versus Targeted Stipends: How to Reduce Inequity While Avoiding Stigma in Medical Education

Mark Benton, Nicolas Reece — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Medical education pathway programs address disparity in the medical workforce, particularly in rural areas, but inequity between program participants detracts from the goal. Universal, rather than targeted, stipends overcome this inequity. We report an evaluation of a universal stipend program for undergraduate students in a medical education pathway program. The stipend covers costs associated with preparing to take the MCAT exam. Findings reveal that students who are less advantaged, have lower income, and whose parents have less education, received more benefits from the stipend than those from advantaged backgrounds. The universal stipend design avoids stigmatizing recipients while it helps grow the medical education pathway.