Measuring Bureaucratic Representation and Integration

Nachmias, David; Rosenbloom, David H.

doi:10.2307/974575

Cited by 53 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…Competing theories in the bureaucratic politics literature lead us to different expectations about whether public administrators can be expected to heed public demands on budgetary matters. On one hand, some scholars claim that the federal bureaucracy will make broadly representative decisions, on budgetary matters as well as on other issues, because it is a representative institution itself (Kranz 1976;Krislov and Rosenbloom 1981;Long 1952;Nachmias and Rosenbloom 1973). Thus, because public administrators are drawn from the population they serve, their values and attitudes are likely to resemble those of the larger public, thereby ensuring democratically accountable decisions on their part.…”

Section: Bureaucratic Politics and Federal Spending Prioritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Budget‐Minimizing Bureaucrat? Empirical Evidence from the Senior Executive Service

Dolan

2002

Public Administration Review

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In a representative democracy, we assume the populace exerts some control over the actions and outputs of government officials, ensuring they comport with public preferences. However, the growth of the fourth branch of government has created a paradox: Unelected bureaucrats now have the power to affect government decisions (Meier 1993; Rourke 1984; Aberbach, Putnam, and Rockman 1981). In this article, I rely on two competing theories of bureaucratic behavior‐representative‐bureaucracy theory and Niskanen's budget‐maximization theory‐to assess how well the top ranks of the federal government represent the demands of the citizenry. Focusing on federal‐spending priorities, I assess whether Senior Executive Service (SES) members mirror the attitudes of the populace or are likely to inflate budgets for their own personal gain. Contrary to the popular portrayal of the budget‐maximizing bureaucrat (Niskanen 1971), I find these federal administrators prefer less spending than the public on most broad spending categories, even on issues that fall within their own departments' jurisdictions. As such, it may be time to revise our theories about bureaucratic self‐interest and spending priorities.

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Section: Bureaucratic Politics and Federal Spending Prioritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Budget‐Minimizing Bureaucrat? Empirical Evidence from the Senior Executive Service

Dolan

2002

Public Administration Review

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“…One solution to this dilemma which many scholars endorse is the theory of representative bureaucracy, a theory that maintains bureaucratic power can be made more responsive to the public if the personnel who staff administrative agencies reflect the demographic characteristics of the public they serve (Denhardt and deLeon 1995;Krislov 1974;Krislov and Rosenbloom 1981;Meier 1975;Nachmias and Rosenbloom 1973;Saltzstein 1979;Selden 1997;Stein 1986). This concept of representation was given prominence in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, which called for a civil service that "reflects the nation's diversity" (5 U.S.C.…”

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confidence: 99%

Administrative Discretion and Active Representation: An Expansion of the Theory of Representative Bureaucracy

Sowa

Selden

2003

Public Administration Review

333

298

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Recent studies of the theory of representative bureaucracy have focused on active representation, whereby administrators in public organizations work to advance the interests of particular groups, achieving policy outcomes that directly address the needs of those groups. The concept of administrative discretion is central to these studies, as an administrator must have the discretion to produce results that reflect the values and beliefs of these groups. While the presence of discretion is often implied in these studies, few have examined it explicitly. Using data from the Farmer's Home Administration, we explore whether administrators who perceive themselves as having more discretion enact policy outcomes that are more representative of minority interests. The results strongly support the conclusion that administrators who perceive themselves as possessing significant discretion and who assume the role of minority representative in their agencies are more likely to enact policy outcomes that favor minority interests.

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“…Nachmias and Rosenbloom (1973) illustrated the use of the measure of variation (MV) to assess the degree of ethnic or racial integration in federal agencies. With regard to validating the use of the measure of variation, Guajardo (1996) correlated the index against the Subramaniam (1967) index of representation and the Hellriegel and Short (1972) index.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workforce Diversity: Downsizing in the NYPD and its Effect on Minority Integration

Guajardo¹

2014

International Journal of Police Science & Management

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Workforce downsizing (ie, the reduction or elimination of positions) may have a significant positive or negative impact on minority employment and the level of diversity that exists within a public agency. This study examines the impact that downsizing has had on the employment of minority police officers and civilians, and levels of diversity in the New York City Police Department (NYDP) from 2000 to 2012 as the agency has reduced its workforce. The findings show that minority integration has increased despite the workforce downsizing. As the NYPD reduced the number of police and civilian positions since 2000, the number of minorities the agency hired increased, while the number of White employees declined, contributing to an increase in the level of workforce diversity.

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Measuring Bureaucratic Representation and Integration

Cited by 53 publications

References 0 publications

The Budget‐Minimizing Bureaucrat? Empirical Evidence from the Senior Executive Service

The Budget‐Minimizing Bureaucrat? Empirical Evidence from the Senior Executive Service

Administrative Discretion and Active Representation: An Expansion of the Theory of Representative Bureaucracy

Workforce Diversity: Downsizing in the NYPD and its Effect on Minority Integration

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