Maximizing social equity as a pillar of public administration: An examination of cannabis dispensary licensing in Pennsylvania

Abstract

Public administration upholds four pillars of an administrative practice: economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and social equity. The question arises, however, how do administrators balance effectiveness and social equity when implementing policy? Can the values contributing to administrative decisions be measured? This study leverages the expansion of medical cannabis programs in the states to interrogate these questions. The awarding of dispensary licenses in Pennsylvania affords the ability to determine the effect of social equity scoring on license award decisions, relative to criteria that represent the other pillars. The results show that safety and business acumen were the most important determining factors in the awarding of licenses, both effectiveness concerns. Social equity does not emerge as a significant determinant until the second round of licensing. This study then discusses the future of social equity provisions for cannabis policy, as well as what the findings mean for social equity in public administration.

How does performance management affect social equity? Evidence from New York City public schools

“…In many cases, performance management has been institutionalized by laws such as Government Performance and Result Act (GPRA) and No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Under these circumstances, governments face a difficult tradeoff in efficiency, effectiveness and equity (Hannah et al, 2023). It is thus imperative to improve the design of performance regimes to reap the benefits while mitigating its negative effects on equity.…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on Cannabis Policy in the United States: Challenges and Opportunities for Public Administration and Policy

“…Not to mention veterans face greater hurdles in accessing medical cannabis for treatment of service-related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and chronic pain (Mallinson and Puello 2023). And social inequity has dogged the cannabis industry and lawmakers trying to regulate an industry while also accounting for the disproportionate harms of the War on Drugs on communities of color (Title 2021, Hannah, Mallinson, and Azevedo 2022, Furman and Middleton 2021. All these challenges are serious and warrant the attention of scholars and practitioners alike.…”

Civics and civility: A darn on threadbare fabric or the fabric itself?

“…Hannah, Mallinson, and Azevedo (2023) ask how social equity is balanced against the other pillars of public administration; namely, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. They look to the awarding of dispensary licenses for medical cannabis in Pennsylvania to determine the effect of social equity scoring on license award decisions relative to the other criteria.…”