Summary: Disparities In Public Administrations

Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century, the principal of equity became a new cornerstone in the profession of public administration. Later, in 2005, the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) classified equity as the fourth pillar of public administration, alongside the well-established pillars of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness (Norman-Major, 2011). Already accustomed to the established pillars of public administration, the incorporation of equity has presented challenges for public administrators. Norman-Major (2011) argues that the primary reasons public administrators are challenged by equity, is due to the lack of a clear definition, the lack of clear measures, and a lower emphasis placed on equity
Thacher (2011) found that “wealthy jurisdictions had 45 percent more police per index crime than poor jurisdictions” (p. 284). Thacher indicated that the disparities in the number of police officers responding to crime saw 15 police officers per 100 index crimes, in the wealthiest communities, compared to 10.3 police officers in the poorest communities. Thacher ascribed 137 percent more police officer per violent crimes in the wealthiest communities than there were poorest communities. The impact of disparities in policing to poorer jurisdictions is that “The minority poor pay for crime in their personal victimization and in the fear it engenders; in higher prices, shorter hours, and poorer selections of goods in the stores they patronize; in the virtual absence from their neighborhoods of some kinds of establishments, such as banks; and in diminished job opportunities in retailing, office work, and manufacturing as businesses relocate to lower-crime areas” (as cited in Thacher, 2011, p.
Frederickson’s (2005) charge is clear, when he stated, “But in public administration, I insist that we engage with the problem of inequality, that we dirty our hands with inequality, that we be outraged, passionate, and determined. In short, I insist that we actually apply social equity in public administration” (p. 35). Norman-Major (2011) points to the agreed upon conclusion of both John Rawls – one of the pioneers of what is now termed the New Public Administration and author of the 1971 book, the Theory of Justice – and H. George Frederickson about the need to strike a balance between society’s advantage and society’s disadvantaged, out of the need for “interdependence” (p. 239). She goes on to state that the need for interdependence stems from the need to ensure the basic human needs and rights for all in