Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Equity

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability

Abstract

Social equity is the principle that governments are culpable in marginalizing many populations and that governments have a special duty to acknowledge and remedy inequities and promote fairness for all. This chapter: a) surveys major ways of understanding social equity and related terms; b) presents several ways of understanding social equity; c) examines the ways in which governments are culpable in creating inequities; and d) discusses strategies governments can undertake to foster social equity. Reflections are offered on how social equity should lead to liberation for historically marginalized populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abdul-Mutakabbir JC, Casey S, Jews V, King A, Simmons K, Belliar JC, Peverini P, Veltman J (2021) A three-tiered approach to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Black community. Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00099-1

  • Alkadry MG, Blessett B (2010) Aloofness or dirty hands? Administrative culpability in the making of the second ghetto. Adm Theory Praxis 32(4):532–556

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry-James RM (2012) Cultural competency in health care: standards, practices, and measures. In: Norman-Major KA, Gooden ST (eds) Cultural competency for public administrators. Routledge, New York, pp 181–196

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry-James RM, Blessett B, Emas R, McCandless S, Nickels AE, Norman-Major K, Vinzant P (2021) Stepping up to the plate: making social equity a priority in public administration’s troubled times. J Public Aff Educ 27(1):5–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2020.1820289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishu SG (2020) Gender equity in the workforce. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: From problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 15–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Capehart L, Milovanovic D (2007) Social justice: theories, issues, and movements. Rutgers University Press, Newark

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control (2021) Health equity considerations and racial and ethnic minority groups. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html. Accessed 1 July 2021

  • Cooper TL (2004) Big questions in administrative ethics: a need for focused, collaborative effort. Public Adm Rev 64(4):395–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2004.00386.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drury I (2020) Exploring social equity in child welfare. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 112–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Frederickson HG (2010) Social equity and public administration: origins, developments, and applications. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaynor TS (2018) Social construction and the criminalization of identity: state-sanctioned oppression and an unethical administration. Public Integrity 20(4):358–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaynor TS, Blessett B (2021) Predatory policing, intersectional subjection, and experiences of LGBTQ people of color in New Orleans. Urban Aff Rev. https://doi.org/10.1177/10780874211017289

  • Gomez MM (2013) Prejudice-based violence. In: Motta C, Sáez M (eds) Gender and sexuality in Latin America – cases and decisions. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 279–323. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6199-5_8

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gooden ST (2014) Race and social equity: a nervous area of government. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gooden ST (2015) From equality to social equity. In: Guy ME, Rubin MM (eds) Public administration evolving: from foundations to the future. Routledge, New York, pp 210–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Gooden ST (2017) Frances Harriet Williams: Unsung social equity pioneer. Public Adm Rev 77(5):777–783

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Government Alliance on Race & Equity (2021) Tools and resources. Retrieved from: https://www.racialequityalliance.org/tools-resources/

  • Guy ME, McCandless SA (2012) Social equity: its legacy, its promise. Public Adm Rev 72(s1):s5–s13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guy ME, McCandless SA (2020) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine

    Google Scholar 

  • Headley AM (2020) Race, ethnicity, and social equity in policing. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 82–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooker J (2020) LGBTQ persons, allies, and the pursuit of social equity. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 28–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansen M (2019) Social equity in the Asia-Pacific region. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson NJ, Svara JH (2015a) Social equity in American society and public administration. In: Johnson NJ, Svara JH (eds) Justice for all: promoting social equity in public administration. Routledge, New York, pp 3–25

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson NJ, Svara JH (2015b) Toward a more perfect union: moving forward with social equity. In: Johnson NJ, Svara JH (eds) Justice for all: promoting social equity in public administration. Routledge, New York, pp 265–290

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson RG, McCandless SA, Renderos H (2020) An exploratory study of transgender inmate populations in Latin America. Public Integrity 22(4):330–343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kagan JA (2020) Social equity and environmental justice. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 142–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser Family Foundation (2021) KFF COVID-19 vaccine monitor. Retrieved from: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/dashboard/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-dashboard/?utm_source=web&utm_medium=trending&utm_campaign=COVID-19-vaccine-monitor#targetpopulationgroups. Accessed 1 July 2021

  • Keiser L (2010) Representative bureaucracy. In: Durant RF (ed) The Oxford handbook of American bureaucracy. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199238958.003.0030

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Klingner D (2015) From local to global. In: Guy ME, Rubin MM (eds) Public administration evolving: from foundations to the future. Routledge, New York, pp 65–82

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Levine H (2021) What’s race got to do with getting your COVID-19 vaccine? American Association for Retired Persons, February 17. Retrieved from: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2021/racial-disparities-covid-vaccine.html. Accessed 1 July 2021

  • Lynn LE (2010) Has governance eclipsed government? In: Durant RF (ed) The Oxford handbook of American bureaucracy. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199238958.003.0030

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McCandless SA (2018a) Improving community relations: how police strategies to improve accountability for social equity affect citizen perceptions. Public Integrity 20(4):370–385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCandless SA (2018b) LGBT homeless youth and policing. Public Integrity 20(6):558–570

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCandless SA, Ronquillo JC (2020) Social equity in professional codes of ethics. Public Integrity 22(5):470–484

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCandless SA, Vogler GM (2020) “Habermasville”: Police-community intersections and communicative rationality. Adm Theory Praxis 42(2):443–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCandless SA, Zavattaro S (2020) Editors’ introduction: since last we spoke. Adm Theory Praxis 42(3):357–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Medina PS (2020) Immigrants and their inclusion. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 125–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Norman-Major K (2011) Balancing the four Es; or can we achieve equity for social equity in public administration? J Public Aff Educ 17(2):233–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norman-Major K, Gooden ST (2012) Cultural competency for public administrators. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Rawls J (1999) A theory of justice, 2nd edn. Belknap Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Ronquillo JC (2020) Bringing First Nations into the fray: indigenous Americans and social equity. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 142–157

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider A, Ingram H (1993) Social construction of target populations: implications for politics and policy. Am Polit Sci Rev 87(2):334–347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative (2020) Race and social justice initiative (RSJI). Retrieved from: https://www.seattle.gov/rsji

  • Sowden K (2019) Equity vs. equality vs. liberation: first steps toward inclusive classroom discussions. Retrieved from: https://blogs.tip.duke.edu/teachersworkshop/equity-vs-equality-vs-liberation-first-steps-toward-inclusive-classroom-discussions-with-gifted-youth/. Accessed 1 July 2021

  • Starke A, Heckler N (2020) At the intersection of identities. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, CA, pp 53–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone D (2011) Policy paradox: the art of political decision making. W.W. Norton and Company, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Svara JH (2015) From ethical expectations to professional standards. In: Guy ME, Rubin MM (eds) Public administration evolving: from foundations to the future. Routledge, New York, pp 254–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Trochmann MB (2020) How administrative rulemaking can advance social equity. In: Guy ME, McCandless SA (eds) Achieving social equity: from problems to solutions. Melvin and Leigh, Irvine, pp 158–171

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams FH (1947) Minority groups and the OPA. Public Adm Rev 7(2):123–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge B, Bilharz B (2017) Social equity: the fourth pillar of public administration. In: Farazmand A (ed) Global encyclopedia of public administration, public policy, and governance. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2383-1

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge B, Gooden S (2009) The epic of social equity: evolution, essence, and emergence. Adm Theory Praxis 31(2):222–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Management and Policy, University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL, USA

    Sean McCandless

Authors
  1. Sean McCandless
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sean McCandless .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

McCandless, S. (2021). Social Equity. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38948-2_71-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38948-2_71-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38948-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38948-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation