The Impact of Representative Bureaucracies: Educational Systems and Public Policies

Abstract

Studies of representative bureaucracies are staples of public administration research; however, because of a variety of methodological problems, too few have been able to address the basic "so what?" question. Do bureaucracies with different levels of representativeness produce different policy outputs and have different policy impacts? Our research addresses these inquiries using data from the 67 public school districts in Florida. The analysis shows that when we focus on (a) bureaucrats who exercise discretion, (b) a demographic factor with a lasting impact-race, and (c) policy measures that are clearly salient to the chosen demographic factor, we can detect the relationships between bureaucratic representation and public policy outputs and outcomes. We particularly highlight the representativeness of "street-level" bureaucrats (in this case, teachers). Thus, the issue of representation in public bureaucracies possesses more than just symbolic importance.

Vive la Différence? The Impact of Diversity on the Turnover Intention of Public Employees and Performance of Public Agencies

“…Female administrators, for example, are more likely to pursue women's interests when greater numbers of women can be found within an organization's leadership ranks (Dolan 2000; see also Brudney, Herbert, and Wright 2000;Meier and Nicholson-Crotty 2006;Saidel and Loscocco 2005). Results also consistently indicate racial and ethnic diversity translate into different policy decisions and service delivery outcomes (e.g., Brudney, Herbert, and Wright 2000;Choi 2010;Hindera 1993;Meier and Stewart 1992;Selden 1997). Yet far less attention has been devoted to determining how other forms of diversity matter, including, for instance, age, language, sexual orientation, and religious diversity (Pitts and Wise 2010).…”

Administrative Discretion and Active Representation: An Expansion of the Theory of Representative Bureaucracy

“…Some agencies in the United States have been explicitly designed toward the goal of active representation of certain groups, with the mandate to use discretion in a manner that promotes representation, such as the Department of Veteran's Affairs or the Office for Civil Rights (Romzek and Hendricks 1982). However, the theory of representative bureaucracy maintains that other public agencies, while not designed to be active representatives of certain groups, can transform the passive representation of certain groups into active representation to achieve more representative outcomes (Meier and Stewart 1992;Meier and Bohte 2001). Many studies have examined passive representation in U.S. administrative agencies and explored the translation of passive representation into active representation.…”

The Representation of Immigrants in Federal, State, and Local Government Work Forces

“…Thus, a representative bureaucracy may promote democratic ideals by ensuring that decisionmakers in the bureaucracy hear voices from all parts of the population (Kingsley 1944;Long 1949;Mosher 1968). As government employment of minorities increases, outcomes for members of their groups improve (Meier and Stewart 1992;Meier 1993;Hindera 1993;Selden 1997b). …”