December 2016 | Does Public Administration Want Diversity…Really? By Leisha DeHart Davis
Kevin, · Categories: monthly_postsEarlier this year, Dr. Marybeth Gasman of University of Pennsylvania wrote a Hechinger Report op-ed piece, where she argued that elite universities do not have diverse faculties because they do not want them. Her op-ed cited a litany of excuses used by the Ivies to exclude faculty of color, including low-quality scholarship and the absence of a pipeline. Her counterargument was that pipelines can be created and scholars from minority-serving institutions can be recruited and mentored. What’s lacking is the desire to do so. In response to her op-ed (which was picked up by the Washington Post), she received 6000 emails ranging from gratitude for her candor to overtly racist sentiments.
Gasman’s op-ed raises the same question for the public administration field: do we really want diversity? As I contemplated the question recently, I realized that the question itself makes two assumptions: (1) that public administration is not a diverse academic field and (2) that the field itself – its associations, conferences, journals, and editorial boards — bears responsibility.
To shed light on the validity of these assumptions, I invited comments through an anonymous Qualtrics survey posted on twitter, the Academic Women in Public Administration email list, and PMRA’s listserv. Twenty-five people posted comments, the substance of which were thoughtful and thought-provoking.
For those inclined to dismiss the results because they are not the product of a large-n survey or random sampling, imagine yourself listening to 25 of your colleagues gathered at a percolator session at PMRC.
The survey asked only one question, “Based on your experiences, is public administration a diverse and inclusive academic field? Why or why not? If not, what can be done? All thoughts, ideas, comments, suggestions, critiques welcome.”
The comments ranged from hopeful to pessimistic. Some were resigned, others were angry. A few were perplexed by the challenges of diversity and inclusion in public administration, but keenly aware of the need for it. Some themes that emerged:
Public administration is (not) a diverse academic field. A few commenters believe that public administration is diverse and inclusive; most do not.
Across comments, the point was made that diversity is more than gender: it’s race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, physical ability, and political persuasion.With regards to political persuasion, two commenters felt there was no room for conservative voices in the field, with one arguing that the characterization of the right as hateful is hateful in and of itself.
One commenter argued that international students, particularly those from China and Korea, bring diversity to PA. As if hearing the argument across cyberspace, another commenter countered that, while Asian students do indeed bring diversity, that cannot be used as an excuse for ignoring the call for U.S. public administration to be more inclusive of women and faculty of color.
Of the affirmants, one felt that the study of administration’s impact on race, gender and income was a strength of the field. Other yeses came from those comparing public administration to other fields, such as political science and economics.
Another theme that emerged was the notion that public administration is a white field that excludes minority voices. This exclusion is thought to take place through a narrow range of acceptable quantitative methodologies and theoretical frames and through informal networks that privilege homosocial reproduction in hiring and publication.
Some were of the opinion that white men were overrepresented in power positions, whether in editorships, “manels”, or publication in top-ranked journals.
The creation of Academic Women in Public Administration was viewed by some as positive, but others suspect self-serving motives and white feminism at play. (Note to fellow AWPA-ers: these comments provide a valuable opportunity for self-evaluation in 2018).
Public administration gives social equity lip service, thought some, without adequately operationalizing it or incorporating it into research. Several commenters noted the paradox of social equity in public administration: it is bandied about as a foundational value, but largely absent from mainstream PA research.
Moving PMRC from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill was a positive move for diversity and inclusion, but… The board’s decision to move the conference was based on HB2, the state’s bathroom bill that requires public restrooms to be designated for the gender of one’s birth. But one commenter wondered why PMRA had not taken a similar stance when North Carolina passed a law in 2013 that undercut voting rights that disproportionately affected minority citizens (subsequently invalidated by the U.S. Court of Appeals).
Now to the second part of the question: what can be done about increasing diversity and inclusion in public administration? Here are some suggestions identified by commenters for moving the field forward into the 21st century:
**Recognize that the absence of faculty and students of color at our conferences reflects a problem. From this perspective, it is no longer good enough to explain away our lack of diversity using the self-serving explanation that we simply have high standards. May this explanation never again escape our lips.
**Intentionally diversify editorial boards, place term limits on editorial positions and be transparent in the selection of journal editors, employing input from board members. Some commenters recommended these tactics as a way of opening the field to more diverse intellectual perspectives.
**Reach out to new faculty in the field, particularly faculty of color. Suggestions for outreach included showing interest in emerging scholars’ research and formally mentoring faculty of color.
Now back to the original question. Does public administration want diversity… really? The answer to this question will be revealed as PMRA decides how it will move the conversation forward.
Wow, amazing weblog structure! How long have you ever been running a blog for?
you made blogging look easy. The total glance of your site is fantastic, let
alone the content! You can see similar here najlepszy sklep
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO?
I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not
seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Kudos!
You can read similar blog here: Scrapebox AA List
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my website to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very
good gains. If you know of any please share. Kudos!
I saw similar text here: Backlink Portfolio
Hi there! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?
I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains.
If you know of any please share. Thanks! You can read similar
blog here: List of Backlinks
Lorsque vous avez des doutes sur les activités de vos enfants ou sur la sécurité de leurs parents, vous pouvez pirater leurs téléphones Android à partir de votre ordinateur ou appareil mobile pour assurer leur sécurité. Personne ne peut surveiller 24 heures sur 24, mais il existe un logiciel d’espionnage professionnel qui peut secrètement surveiller les activités des téléphones Android sans les en informer.
Good day! Do you know if they make any plugins
to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results.
If you know of any please share. Thank you! You can read similar article here: Najlepszy sklep
Hi! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing
very good success. If you know of any please share.
Many thanks! You can read similar text here: Ecommerce
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins
to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying
to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good results.
If you know of any please share. Thank you!
You can read similar text here: Ecommerce
It’s very interesting! If you need help, look here: ARA Agency
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to
get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not
seeing very good results. If you know of any please share.
Thank you! You can read similar text here:
Najlepszy sklep
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The entire look of your web site is wonderful, as well
as the content material! You can see similar here ecommerce
For most up-to-date information you have to pay a visit world wide web and on world-wide-web
I found this website as a most excellent website for latest updates.
I saw similar here: Sklep internetowy
Wow, amazing weblog layout! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for?
you made running a blog glance easy. The entire look of your website is wonderful, as neatly
as the content! You can see similar here e-commerce
Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you been running a blog for?
you made blogging glance easy. The whole glance of your website is magnificent, let alone the content!
You can see similar here sklep
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks! https://www.binance.info/en/join?ref=53551167
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good. https://accounts.binance.com/tr/register?ref=S5H7X3LP
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you. https://accounts.binance.com/el/register-person?ref=V3MG69RO
Wow, this blog is like a rocket soaring into the universe of excitement! The mind-blowing content here is a captivating for the imagination, sparking awe at every turn. Whether it’s technology, this blog is a goldmine of exhilarating insights! #InfinitePossibilities Dive into this exciting adventure of imagination and let your mind soar! Don’t just read, savor the excitement! will be grateful for this exciting journey through the realms of endless wonder!
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks! https://www.binance.info/lv/join?ref=V2H9AFPY
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good. https://www.binance.info/join?ref=OMM3XK51
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https://www.binance.com/zh-CN/register?ref=WTOZ531Y
Wow, blog ini seperti petualangan fantastis melayang ke galaksi dari kemungkinan tak terbatas! Konten yang mengagumkan di sini adalah perjalanan rollercoaster yang mendebarkan bagi imajinasi, memicu kegembiraan setiap saat. Baik itu teknologi, blog ini adalah sumber wawasan yang mendebarkan! #TerpukauPikiran Berangkat ke dalam petualangan mendebarkan ini dari pengetahuan dan biarkan imajinasi Anda melayang! Jangan hanya menikmati, rasakan sensasi ini! #BahanBakarPikiran Pikiran Anda akan bersyukur untuk perjalanan mendebarkan ini melalui alam keajaiban yang menakjubkan!
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https://accounts.binance.com/en/register-person?ref=B4EPR6J0
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https://accounts.binance.com/zh-CN/register?ref=B4EPR6J0
Asking questions are really nice thing if you are not understanding something totally,
but this piece of writing provides good understanding yet.
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks! https://www.binance.com/sk/register?ref=JHQQKNKN
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https://accounts.binance.com/cs/register-person?ref=V3MG69RO
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article. https://www.binance.com/vi/register?ref=V3MG69RO