Diversity and governance

Kaddour Mehiriz, Phd.

Doha Institute for Graduates Studies
School of Public Administration and Development Economics
 Relevance of the issue
• Diversity is currently the source of many social movements advocating
for increased inclusion of ethnocultural minorities, women, people
with disabilities and other marginalized social groups.
• Mismanagement of diversity was the cause of civil wars and
secessions (Irak, Rwanda etc.).
• Diversity is approached in literature as a value per se (a human right)
and an instrumental good (a tool for achieving other ultimate values)
Diversity and public policies
 Diversity as a value per se
• The idea of diversity as a human right is rooted in the liberal political
philosophy stressing the principles of individuals’ rights to be free,
equally treated and having equal opportunities, including the right of
accessing their cultures.
• Members of minority groups are disadvantaged because modern
states are organized around the language, culture, and interests of the
dominant groups (Gellner, 2008).
 Diversity as a value per se
• Pro-diversity policies are therefore needed to (Kymlicka and Banting.
2006):
• recognize and institutionalize social diversity
• address historical injustices
• support members of minority groups to deal with negative stereotypes and
other forms of discrimination.
• These include such solutions as:
• inclusion without assimilation of immigrants
• recognition of territorial autonomy and linguistic rights for national minorities
• proportional representation of minorities and disadvantaged groups in elected
assemblies, etc.
 Diversity as an instrumental good
• Some argue that diversity is associated with bad governance:
1. Societies with substantial differences between groups lack social solidarity
and cohesion required to provide public goods and reduce social
inequalities.
2. Political parties in power prefer to provide private goods to their
constituencies rather than public goods (Patronage, porc barrel politics etc)
• Based on these assumptions, they argue against pro-diversity policies
and for homogenization policies .
• Opponents to diversity policies can be found among:
• political parties of the right (diversity as a threat to national identity)
• political parties of the left (diversity as a threat to the welfare state).
 Diversity as an instrumental good
• Proponents of pro-diversity policies reject the negative association
between diversity and governance quality:
some empirical studies found that the true cause of poor governance is not
diversity but social inequalities resulting from racism and discrimination
against the minorities
social cohesion in developed countries is not based on racial and cultural
homogeneity but on the existence of overarching and legitimate institutions
coordinating diverse societies endowed with an advanced division of labor.
•Pro-diversity policies that recognize and correct harms inflicted to
marginalized social groups would foster these groups’ loyalty and therefore
social cohesion and solidarity (Kymlicka and Banting. 2006).
Diversity and public administration
 Diversity and public administration

• Women and minority groups are systematically relegated to lower-level positions

in public organizations and segregated in redistributive agencies such as health
and education.
• 3 metaphors are usually used to describe discrimination against women
(Sabharwal. 2013):
• Glass walls are barriers that hold women in certain types of agencies and jobs
that are traditionally viewed as “feminine” in nature.
• Glass ceiling/Sticky floors refers to the barriers confronting women in their
attempt to rise to leadership positions.
• Glass cliffs refer to situation in which women in senior positions are pushed to
fail in their role as leaders.
 Diversity and public administration

• In addition to violating the rights of targeted groups to equal

treatment, these practices negatively impact the legitimacy and
efficacy of public services.
• Advocates of representative bureaucracy underline the importance of
a public administration that mirrors the social fabric of the society and
provide equal opportunities for individuals to serve the public by
barring discriminatory hiring and promotion practices.
 Diversity and public administration

• Representative bureaucracy is presumed to improve(Rainey et al.

2017) :
• the capacity of public administration to adapt public services to the diversity
of social needs (active representation)
• perception of public administration legitimacy (passive representation)
• and citizens’ collaboration with the state (passive representation).
• Equal opportunities employment policies are therefore needed to
protect the rights of minority groups and enhance the performance
and legitimacy of public administration (Bishu and Headley. 2020).
 Selected references
- Baldwin K. and Huber J. 2010. Economic versus cultural differences: forms of ethnic diversity and public goods provision.
American political science review. 104(4): 644-663.
- Bishu S. and Headley A. 2020. Equal employment opportunity: Women bureaucrats in male-dominated professions.
Public Administration Review, forthcoming
- Gellner E. 2008. Nation and nationalism. Cornell university press.
- Kymlicka W. and Banting K. 2006. Immigration, multiculturalism, and the welfare state. Ethics & International Affairs ·
DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-7093.2006.00027.x
- Portes A. and Vickstrom E. 2011. Diversity, social capital, and cohesion. Annu. Rev. Sociol. 37:461–79
- Rainey G. Riccucci N. Ryzin G. 2016. Representative bureaucracy: A lever to enhance social equity, coproduction, and
democracy. Public Administration Review, Vol. 77, Iss. 1, pp. 21–30
- Sabharwal M. 2013. From glass ceiling to glass cliff: Women in senior executive service. Journal of public Administration
Research and Theory. 25:399–426
- Skilling S. 2015. The power and the politics of difference in diversity. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 10:2, 272-278,
DOI: 10.1080/17447143.2015.1050031
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Multiculturalism.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberalism/