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Institutional Racism and the Public Sector

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Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance

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Synonyms

Color-blind racism; Hidden racism; Paternalistic racism; Structural racism

Institutional racism may be defined as “an indirect and largely invisible process which can be compared with cloning and the glass ceiling,” according to A.J. Price (1997). “It is a term encompassing the, often unintentional, barriers and selection/promotion procedures which serve to disadvantage members of ethnic minority groups.”

Braham et al. (1992: 106) goes a step further and suggests that widening our definition of discrimination to include indirect or institutional racism gives a much better understanding of the barriers faced by ethnic minorities. Institutional racism, he asserts, is virtually unrecognized by organizations but is an extremely contentious issue in the public sector.

Dominelli (2002: 157) writes that it is often the veiled presence of racism in everyday activities, which coincides with the failure to make connections between the various incarnations of racism (personal,...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Affairs and Administration, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 111 Washington Street, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA

    James D. Ward

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  1. James D. Ward
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Correspondence to James D. Ward .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

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Ward, J.D. (2016). Institutional Racism and the Public Sector. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2336-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2336-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

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