Towards a Representative Bureaucracy: Promoting Linguistic Representation and Diversity in the Swiss and Canadian Federal Public Services

Abstract

Drawing on the concept of representative bureaucracy, this article examines how two multilingual states -Canada and Switzerland -deal with issues related to the participation of different linguistic communities in the federal public service. Following a political mobilization of the linguistic cleavage, strategies to promote multilingualism in the public service have been adopted in both countries. The Canadian strategy focuses on equal treatment of Anglophones and Francophones in the public service. In Switzerland, adequate representation of the linguistic communities is the primary goal. These differences are explained by the characteristics of the linguistic regimes in each of the two countries as well as by the peculiarities of consociational democracy in Switzerland. In both countries, the linguistic origins of public administration staff, overall, mirrors the proportions of the linguistic communities in the wider society. Within administrative units, however, linguistic diversity is hampered by the logics of language rationalization, where minorities are under pressure to communicate in the language of the majority.

Multicultural public administration: Effects of language diversity and dissimilarity on public employees' attachment to employment

“…The coexistence of the sub‐national cultures and language regions has a long tradition in the country's identity. In the federal administration most meetings are bilingual, provided there is sufficient proficiency (Kübler et al ). Thus, passive multilingualism and conversation in two or three languages is customary in Swiss public administration.…”

“…In the federal administration most meetings are bilingual, provided there is sufficient proficiency (Kübler et al 2013). Thus, passive multilingualism and conversation in two or three languages is customary in Swiss public administration.…”

“…All measures centre first and foremost around equality of opportunity for public employees and, thus, characterize descriptive or passive representation of the societal groups. The rather informal approach of Switzerland's language strategy is thus characterized by optional recommendations and measures and by relatively minor resources (Kübler et al 2013 French Switzerland' and has an inherent interest in sustaining the 'peace of languages' in Switzerland (Richter 2005).…”

Representative Bureaucracy in German Public Schools: An Assessment of the Mechanisms of Passive Representation

“…These are also the variables most commonly investigated by representative bureaucracy scholars. Recent studies have indicated that additional individual characteristics (e.g., age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, and language) should also be considered (Gade & Wilkins, 2013;Kelly, 1998;Kübler et al, 2012;Lewis & Ng, 2013;Slack, 2001;Thielemann & Stewart, 1996). Additionally, level of education and party identification have been shown to affect bureaucrats' selfperceptions as minority representatives (Selden et al, 1998).…”

“…Most of these studies explored the factors that influence the attitude, values, and behavior of minority bureaucrats and eventually drive them to become active representatives of their minority group. These factors include demographic variables such as sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, language, and political affiliation (Gade & Wilkins, 2003;Kelly, 1998;Kübler, Kobelt, & Andrey, 2012;Selden, Brudney, & Kellough, 1998;Slack, 2001). Researchers have also explored how minority bureaucrats are influenced by organizational factors, such as length of time working in the public sector, perceived work obligations, the organizational environment, the issue to be considered, organized employee groups, the bureaucrat's position in the organizational hierarchy and the physical location of the bureaucrat's office in the entity (Selden et al, 1998;Thompson, 1976).…”