Social Class and Socioeconomic Status: Relevance and Inclusion in MPA-MPP Programs

Abstract

Social equity has been challenged in recent years through increasing income inequality. The widening gap between the rich and the poor contributes to economic segregation among regions and neighborhoods and has a direct impact on public service delivery. This article examines declining mobility, economic segregation, and education to demonstrate the relevance of social class and socioeconomic status to the field of public administration. The potential for positive change lies in the willingness of scholars to advance social equity through representation, research, and pedagogy.

Evaluation of Socioeconomic Status on Drug Addicted Person

“…Apart from that, socio-economics has also been associated as one of the main contributors toward drug addictions. Socio-economic status is described as a person's position in society using criteria such as income, occupation, and education [17]. This is supported by previous studies that are based on large data survey.…”

Preparing Public Service Professionals for a Diverse and Changing Workforce and Citizenry: Evaluating the Progress of NASPAA Programs in Competency Assessment

“…Students must also be able to apply their knowledge and the values of diversity, equity, and justice to policy decisions and actions. Cultural competence in the realm of laws and policies demands that students be able to evaluate policies and procedures in terms of the four criteria identified by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) of procedural fairness, distributional equity, process equity, and outcomes disparities (Norman-Major, 2011), and to recognize and respond to inequities based on traditional diversity characteristics such as gender and race as well as social class (Wyatt-Nichol, Brown, & Haynes, 2011). Similarly, the general skills of effective communication and interpersonal relations are a starting point but more specialized communication skills are required to work effectively in diverse team and group settings and to negotiate, facilitate, or mediate among diverse interests, perspectives, and styles of individuals (Page, 2007).…”

Inequality: Underrepresentation of African American Males in U. S. Higher Education

“…Influenced by the first Minnowbrook meeting and by scholars such as Dwight Waldo and H. George Frederickson, the new public administration movement in the late 1960s asserted that traditional public administration focused on institutions rather than on the problems to be addressed by institutions (Wyatt-Nichol, Brown, & Haynes, 2011). Generations later, the National Academy of Public Administration refers to social equity as the fourth pillar of public administration (National Academy of Public Administration, 2005).…”

“…In recent years, increasing income inequality has contributed to economic segregation among regions and neighborhoods and particularly within public school systems, as neighborhoods are a reflection of socioeconomic status and race (Pebley & Sastry, 2004;Wyatt-Nichol et al, 2011). The negative impact of racial and socioeconomic segregation in public education contributes to disparities in higher education.…”