The Journal of Social Equity and Public Administration: From Vision to Victory

Abstract

This article details the genesis of the Journal of Society Equity and Public Administration (JSEPA), the official section journal of the Section of Democracy and Social Justice (SDSJ) of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). It is written to memorialize and celebrate the victory of JSEPA’s establishment for the generations of scholars and practitioners who will contribute to its success in the years to follow, as well as the readers—students, faculty, and practitioners alike—who will rely upon its findings to provide understanding and direction to solving some of the greatest inequities confronted by government.

Overcoming neutrality as an organizational learning impediment

“…Neutrality may be attractive in principle, but it has a deceptive allure that normalizes discriminatory blindness, defensive reasoning, and fixed mindsets (Gooden, 2015(Gooden, , 2020Senge, 2006). Stivers (2015) argued that it is literally impossible to practice an ethic of neutrality.…”

Social Equity in Public Administration: Past, Present, and the Future

“…In fact, Rutledge was foundational in NAPA developing a working definition of social equity, adopting social equity as a pillar of the field, incorporating social equity in its strategic plan, and creating a standing panel (Gooden, 2015a;Gooden et al, 2023). Indeed, it is the cornerstone definition of social equity as advanced by NAPA that is often now a starting point for understanding social equity in the field: "The fair, just, and equitable management of all institutions serving the public directly or by contract, and the fair, justice and equitable distribution of public services, and implementation of public policy, and the commitment to promote fairness, justice, and equity in the formation of public policy" (Gooden, 2015a, p. 219).…”

“…Finally, the inaugural issue of JSEPA was launched in 2023, not only as the newest academic journal in the field of public administration but an open access source as well. Their road to implementation will not be fully rehashed here (see Gooden et al, 2023 for detailed narrative from vision to reality). However, its "mission is to provide a learning space, a journal of record, and a place of introspection and extrospection.…”

“…(3) the commitment to promote fairness, justice, and equity in the formation of public policy. Furthermore, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) formally adopted social equity as the fourth pillar of public administration in 2005-along with economy, efficiency, and effectiveness-to serve as the foundational cornerstones of our field (Gooden et al, 2023). Although the discipline has made progress during these past 60+ years to "incentivize tangible results by exploring, identifying, and disseminating social equity frameworks and metrics," much more remains to be done to "address the substantial social and economic disparities in 21st Century America" (NAPA, 2023).…”