After enacting civil rights, American has been legally experiencing various challenges social and administrative challenges relating to racism. The government has heavily relied on policies and programs developed during the pre-civil rights era. It has resulted in the high levels of administrative racism present in various social institutions. The African American community is currently the worst affected ethnicity. It has the highest number of people without proper education, healthcare, and is a targeted ethnicity by the criminal and justice system. The notions are supported by various peer-reviewed articles and publications identifying the issue facing society. Public administration is the cause, and as the researchers' data, they also offer the best solutions to the issue of administrative racism. By critically addressing the various aspects of the problem, viable solutions can be attained, resulting in better policy development. America is a diverse country with numerous ethnicity. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that equality is maintained. Lack thereof is social unrest.
Administrative Racism
Public administration is the implementation of government policies, and the institution also plays a vital role in the development of guidelines and programs utilized by the government. Therefore, public administrators organize direct, coordinate, and control government processes. They also play a critical role in supporting federal agencies such as HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) or the TSA (Transport Security Administration). Nevertheless, public administration in America has an ethical problem that critically influences race and racism. Research has identified that race is an issue that is seldom addressed by the government. The outcome has been vast socio-economical differences that have resulted in a recent social uproar. Administrative racism occurs when social problems are addressed from a technical perspective, to avoid the problem. Administrative racism is currently the limiting ethical issue affecting the government’s social progress.
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Ethical Context
The vital issue affecting public administration is the government’s reactive nature racial discrimination; various aspects of society are evolving rapidly, such as technology, the economy, and cultural environment. Struggling to adapt to the changing aspects results in numerous forms of social uproar demanding for change. The current social uproar relates to the increased racial discrimination that offers a clear demonstration of the lack of proper assessment of government policies to current societal ideologies (Hanks et al., 2018). Though it has not been a personal experience, it is essential to appreciate the notion that racism is an institutional problem. According to Hanks et al. (2018), the vast gap in America's wealth distribution is to blame for the issue. Based on the data collected on the various studies on public administration and race, a common factor is the issue's lack of resolve. According to Witt (2011), racial discrimination has been a substantial part of public administration. The social issue has shaped by public administration, and it has also affected the notion of race within the country (Witt, 2011). Segregation laws introduced the commonly addressed racial disparities today; though the laws have been abolished, the practices are still present. The notion is elaborated with the healthcare sector. The African American health statistics lag behind all minority and majority groups (Witt, 2011). Additionally, with the ever-growing wealth gap affecting the African American community, the problem is expected to worsen.
Analysis, Evaluation and Critique
Though segregation laws have been abolished and the Civil Rights Act implemented to protect the minority communities, racism constitutes a critical aspect of American society and institutions. Blessett et al. (2019) states that though racism is not visible to most public, studies state it has taken up a new paradigm within the government. Institutional racism is a problem facing public administration as people of color are offered poor quality services with disparaging work environments that promote low job satisfaction and morale. The notion is further supported by Blessett et al. (2019), who claims that the minority are still racially oppressed, although the law has changed. The study further indicates that socially rooted institutions such as healthcare, housing, the criminal justice system, and education are among the most affected. The data collected on institutional racism identifies the practice as re-emerging in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Though it was present, it was a highly contested ideology.
Therefore, racism has become an institutional issue affecting the minority community at various levels. For example, school districts in predominantly black communities receive less funding compared to those in white communities. It is important to note that public administrators' policy programs do not have direct impacts but long-term consequences. For example, according to Witt (2011), the reduced educational and healthcare funding for black communities has indirectly caused an escalation in crime rates. The report's data identified high rates of dropouts in both elementary and high school from black communities (Witt,2011). The issue has also affected housing, with the majority of African Americans being offered restrictive mortgage policies and housing contracts (Witt, 2011). The discriminatory actions further complement previously identified notions concerning racial discrimination.
Therefore, based on the research, it is evident that public administration is racially biased as it has failed for decades to offer equal institutional policies. The government's failure to address the ethical issue has resulted in social disobedience in numerous cities and towns. The government’s reactive approach to the issues affecting society also contributes to the issue as racism is not a new societal issue in America. However, the data also identified race as a complex and puzzling concept that can be used to trace the citizenship, power, and privilege of people in American history (Hanks et al., 2018). On numerous occasions, the public has failed to notice that the racial issues facing the country can be resolved through public administration. The government has attempted numerous approaches but have failed to appreciate race as a diverse aspect of society that cannot be resolved rapidly.
The studies have identified that America’s past practices and polices supported the philosophy that being different was abnormal. It resulted in the eventual need for government accountability and transparency. The change was stressed on social equality as administrative racism had become an understated aspect of the government. The analysis made by Hanks et al. (2018) concluded that public administrators had prolonged, systematic racism in America. Race is an issue of minimal concern to contemporary administrators because, from the mid-20th century, outdated segregation laws regulated most societal institutions.
Recommendations
The government needs to rectify the administrative policies and regulations in place by addressing past governments' actions and making changes to adhere to contemporary society. The solution is not as simple as depicted; racism has become an American society affecting the population. According to Choi (2010), there are numerous approaches to reducing racism in public administration and society. Firstly, the promotion of organization diversity creates a more inclusive environment with equal opportunities for all members. Increasing ethnic diversity within the government allows for the ideals of the minority communities to be protected. The outcome is a reduced social uproar; for example, with more African Americans in the government, issues affecting the black community members can be addressed adequately (Choi, 2010).
Another approach is the increment in organizational leadership positions. Currently members of the black community account for less than 4% of all senior leadership roles within the government and the private sector (Winship et al., 2018). On the other hand, the Latino community accounts for less than 2%, and in both cases, it is mostly men (Winship et al., 2018). For racial equality, the government and the private sector require to offer more leadership positions to the minority communities. The strategy plays an essential role in limiting administrative racism as intergenerational income gaps contribute to reduced services and lack of recognition (Winship et al., 2018). The income gap between majority and minority communities contributes to the disparities experienced. Winship et al. (2018) identified that African Americans' low income contributes to the low funding for education and healthcare. The study further identified that African Americans had over 65% risk of remaining in poverty. Therefore, by offering the black community more opportunities, it directly contributes to reducing the income gap.
Finally, media representation, contemporary society is highly influenced by the media regardless of the source. Public opinion refers to the requests, needs, and rationale of the people. A democratic state is required to derive authority from the people; however, the public's ideologies are highly influenced by the media (Blessett et al., 2019). Social scientist has identified that the black community's challenges can be understood by addressing the media. The studies identified that the media actively depicts members of the African American community as social rejects resulting in the various forms of discrimination by the healthcare, education, and judiciary system (Blessett et al., 2019). The quantitative study depicted that numerous stereotypes developed affecting their perceptions of the African American community (Blessett et al., 2019). The issue is also present in public administration, and it has contributed to racism becoming a persistent social issue in American. Overall, the studies identified that American media fails to depict more black society members associating them with intellectual and technical pursuits.
Summary
Overall, the study has demonstrated that social inequality is a prominent issue in the public sector. The education sector has high disparities affecting race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender. It has affected the perception of education, the outcome of students, and the student discipline. With altered psychological and mental health, the black community is serviced with low-quality healthcare, emphasizing administrative racism. The criminal and justice system also depict institutionalized racism with high levels of injustices against the minority. The problem is currently being experienced with numerous cities and towns experiencing social disobedience due to inequality. Finally, the representation of the minority community is also limited, thereby contributing to the notion.
It is important to note that America has had decades of alterations and polices promoting public equality in public administration. However, as previously state, race is a dynamic issue that introduces new challenges if not handled properly. Assessment of the various studies identified that the key to success in public equality is the practice's historical background. America is among the most diverse countries globally, constituting almost all ethnicities and cultures of the world. However, it is among the most racially inept countries. The majority of its minority population is discriminated against in various aspects supported by the government.
Conclusion
Racism has been identified as the leading issue affecting public administration; the issue has been addressed from various aspects resulting in the various approaches in limiting the effects of administrative racism. The practice has resulted in numerous societies rooted institutions, as previously stated, to experience racial discrimination. For the recommendations identified to work, the government needs to alter its approach towards social issues implementing accountability. The strategy is intended to develop relations between the government and the minority communities, contrary to the current state. The public has already demanded change as depicted with the recent social uproars; therefore, the government needs to exercise its will.
References
Blessett, B., Dodge, J., Edmond, B., Goerdel, H., Gooden, S., & Headley, A. et al. (2019). Social Equity in Public Administration: A Call to Action. Perspectives On Public Management And Governance , 1 (1), 289-289. https://doi.org/10.1093/ppmgov/gvz016
Choi, S. (2010). Diversity in the US Federal Government: Diversity Management and Employee Turnover in Federal Agencies. Journal Of Public Administration Research And Theory , 19 (3), 603-630. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mun010
Hanks, A., Solomon, D., & Weller, C. (2018). Systematic Inequality . Center for American Progress. Retrieved 15 August 2020, from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2018/02/21/447051/systematic-inequality/.
Rauhaus, B., & Carr, I. (2019). The invisible challenges: Gender differences among public administration faculty. Journal Of Public Affairs Education , 26 (1), 31-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2018.1565040
Winship, S., Guyot, K., & Reeves, R. (2018). The inheritance of black poverty: It’s all about the men . Brookings. Retrieved 15 August 2020, from https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-inheritance-of-black-poverty-its-all-about-the-men/.
Witt, M. (2011). A Noteworthy Absence: How and why Race and Racism is Ignored by Public Administration Scholarship. History Compass , 9 (7), 549-561. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-0542.2011.00784.x
