Active Representation in Indigenous Public Managers – New Challenges to Representative Bureaucracy Theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Verónica Figueroa Huencho ◽  
Juan Pablo Araya Orellana
Keyword(s):  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Active Representation ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Bureaucracy Theory

scholarly journals School Choice and Conflict Narratives: Representative Bureaucracy at the Street Level in East Jerusalem

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 528-565
Author(s):  
Karl O’Connor ◽  
Craig Larkin ◽  
Mansour Nasasra ◽  
Kelsey Shanks
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Education System ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Active Representation ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Street Level Bureaucrats ◽  
Bureaucracy Theory ◽  
East Jerusalem ◽  
Conflict Narratives

In representative bureaucracy research, the dominant view holds that passive representation leads to active representation. Much of the research to date has focused on the conditions that influence this process. In this research, we argue that more attention needs to be paid to the manifestation of active representation, rather than simply its presence. We find that although passive representation may indeed lead to active representation, the nature of this active representation is interpreted differently by those sharing a primary identity. We use the lens of representative bureaucracy theory, and Q Methodology, to understand how street-level bureaucrats in East Jerusalem use their discretion within the education system of a contested society.

This for That: What EEOC Trends Reveal About Representative Bureaucracy

2020 ◽  
pp. 0734371X2094281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan H. Kennedy ◽  
Sebawit G. Bishu
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Active Representation ◽  
Public Service Organizations ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Bureaucracy Theory

Representative bureaucracy is one of the mechanisms used to achieve representative democracy. This article assesses how bureaucratic representation affects public access to administrative remedies, a recourse linked with social equity in public service organizations. Representative bureaucracy theory is applied to 14 years of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission demographics and outcomes data. The analysis asks whether passive representation trends parallel trends in active representation outcomes, using longitudinal workforce, charge, suit, and resolution data. Results suggest trends in client driven outcomes (charges) were consistent with passive representation, while organizational outcomes (suits and resolutions) outpaced disability representation but fell short of racial and gender representation. The trend analysis findings, which offer timely insights into the effects of human resource management, suggests organizational priorities and processes affect representation more than previously thought.

Gendered Funding: United Way Board Composition and the Funding of Women- and Girl-Serving Organizations

2021 ◽  
pp. 089976402110574
Author(s):  
Lauren Dula
Keyword(s):  
Time Series Data ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Interrupted Time Series ◽  
The United States ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
United Way ◽  
Bureaucracy Theory

Representative bureaucracy theory posits that the passive representation of women in leadership positions will lead to active representation of the concerns of women in general. This article attempts to identify whether this theory plays out on boards of nonprofit funding organizations, specifically United Ways across the United States. Using random effects modeling of interrupted time series data covering 15 years, the findings suggest a small yet significant nonlinear effect of women in leadership positions on boards upon the size of funding for women- and girl-serving organizations. This partially supports representative bureaucracy theory, but raises questions as to why there is a negative representational effect past a certain “critical mass” of women.

Representative bureaucracy and bureaucratic responsiveness : linking passive and active representation in Ghana's education bureaucracy

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elijah Agyapong
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Active Representation ◽  
Female Teachers ◽  
Bureaucratic Responsiveness ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Advocacy Role ◽  
The Relationship

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Over the years, scholars have examined representative bureaucracy as a viable means to achieve bureaucratic responsiveness in a democratic society. The theory argues that a diverse public service that mirrors the social demographics of its population in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity (passive representation) is more likely to be responsive to the needs of all citizens (active representation). While a substantial amount of empirical research exists, a comparative understanding of the theory is lacking in Africa. This study expands empirical research on the theory to Ghana, one of the successful democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa, and focuses specifically on female representation in education. The study accomplishes two primary objectives. First, it investigates whether passive representation of female teachers and school administrators would make the education bureaucracy more responsive to girls' education in Ghana. Second, it seeks to understand the mechanisms by which passive representation translates into active representation for female students in the Ghanaian context. The analysis of an administrative dataset on senior high schools within the 216 districts of Ghana revealed that passive representation of female teachers was positively associated with the performance of girls on math and science exit exams. More female students passed the math and science exams in districts that employed more female teachers. The relationship was statistically significant after controlling for other theoretically relevant factors. In order to better understand how passive representation leads to substantive benefits for female students, a comprehensive model was examined which incorporated social backgrounds, attitudes/role acceptance, and active representation. The model hypothesized that a teacher can assume the role of an advocate or a representative of girls' interests. Those who adopt the advocacy role, regardless of their social identities, will be more likely to make decisions or take actions that improve educational outcomes for female students. A random sample of 200 teachers in eight senior high schools within the Accra Metropolis of Ghana was surveyed about their attitudes toward girls' education. In addition, school superintendents and officials in the Ghana Education Service were interviewed to provide qualitative insights. The findings indicated that gender and perceived expectation from various stakeholders influenced the extent to which teachers perceived their roles as advocates of girls. Organizational socialization and the acceptance of impartial bureaucratic roles did not overwhelm the influence of gender and perceived role expectations on the advocacy role. However, adoption of the advocacy role rather than gender predicted the potential for active representation, measured as a teacher's self-reported behavior in terms of actively taking actions to address the educational needs of girls. The findings from this sample lend considerable support for the relationship between role perceptions and the potential for active representation. It suggests that the advocacy role mediates the relationship between passive and active representation. This study therefore provides a better understanding of how a representative bureaucracy can engender responsiveness to women's education in Ghana and the Sub-Saharan African region.

scholarly journals Representation through Lived Experience: Expanding Representative Bureaucracy Theory

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 434-451
Author(s):  
Cullen C. Merritt ◽  
Morgan D. Farnworth ◽  
Sheila Suess Kennedy ◽  
Gordon Abner ◽  
James E. Wright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Bureaucracy Theory

scholarly journals Lipstick and Logarithms: Gender, Institutional Context, and Representative Bureaucracy

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAEL R. KEISER ◽  
VICKY M. WILKINS ◽  
KENNETH J. MEIER ◽  
CATHERINE A. HOLLAND
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Context ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Public Employees ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Active Representation ◽  
Women In Education ◽  
Contextual Environment

According to the theory of representative bureaucracy, passive representation among public employees will lead to active representation in bureaucratic outputs. Existing research demonstrates that the link between passive and active representation exists for race but not for sex. Past research on this topic has not, however, taken into account the contextual environment that affects whether sex will translate into gender and lead to active representation in the bureaucracy. In this paper, we create a framework that specifies the conditions that affect whether passive representation results in active representation for sex and then test this framework using the case of education. We find that passive representation of women in education leads to active representation and that the institutional context affects the extent to which this link between passive and active representation occurs.

Does an Increased Share of Black Police Officers Decrease Racial Discrimination in Law Enforcement?

2022 ◽  
pp. 107808742110702
Author(s):  
Sunyoung Pyo
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Black Representation ◽  
Black Residents ◽  
Black Police ◽  
Negative Role ◽  
Black Officers ◽  
Bureaucracy Theory

Based on representative bureaucracy theory, the current study investigates whether increasing Black representation in police forces is negatively associated with racial discrimination in law enforcement. This study additionally investigates how associations may differ according to the organizational or environmental contexts of the forces. Results show that an increased share of Black officers is associated with decreased police-involved deaths of Black residents, but is not significantly associated with a change in order maintenance arrests of Black suspects. In addition, the negative association between Black representation and police-involved deaths of Black residents disappears when the percent of Black officers surpasses about 15 percent, especially in organizations where White officers comprise a larger share. These findings support the potential negative role of organizational socialization on the effectiveness of increasing the share of Black officers in policing, implying that additional long-term efforts to change organizational culture are needed to realize the benefits of enhancing Black representation.

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