Making Sense of Identity and Equity in Public Sector Workplaces

Nicole M. Elias is Associate Professor in the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and Founding Co-Director of the Initiative for Gender Equity in the Public Sector at John Jay College, USA. Her research focuses on equity in public administration and policy, with an emphasis on the ethics of administration, management of human resources in public organizations, and public policy impacts on SOGIE populations. She regularly collaborates with practitioners in government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Dr. Elias was a Research Partner with the New York City Commission on Gender Equity and held a Research Fellowship at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Office and U.S. Department of Defense’s Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI). She was named a Politics NY Power Player in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in 2023, and in 2022 she was included in City & State’s Higher Education Power 100: Driving diversity on campus, which recognizes college and university officials for making their schools more inclusive in 2022. Maja Husar Holmes is Professor and Director of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas, USA. Her research and teaching examine diversity, inclusion and leadership practices in the public sector and higher education. Her work has been published in leading journals, including State and Local Government Review, Administration & Society, Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory and Innovative Higher Education. Holmes has also made significant contributions to advancing social justice and inclusivity in higher education through National Science Foundation-funded applied research. Maria J. D’Agostino is Professor in the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and Founding Co-Director of the Initiative for Gender Equity in the Public Sector at John Jay College, USA. Dr. D’Agostino’s scholarship focuses on gender, leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the public sector. Her research scholarship qualitatively and quantitatively examines gender in leadership positions, inclusive and organizational workplace practices, and gender-equitable pedagogy. Her expertise is applied in practice through various public sector partnerships including the New York City Gender Equity Commission and the United Nations Gender Equity in Public Administration (UN-GEPA) group. She recently collaborated with UN-GEPA as an expert to develop the next steps and new approaches to women’s participation and leadership in public administration. Dr. D’Agostino convenes workshops bridging the academic, practitioner, and student communities to provide resources and tools to create more equitable workplaces, policies, and classrooms. In Spring 2022 she was named in City & State New York’s list of Higher Education Power 100: Driving Diversity in Campus. Dr. D’Agostino is the co-recipient of the 2018-19 Inaugural Presidential Student-Faculty Research Collaboration Award examining gender equity in municipalities. She is also the recipient of the Section for Women in Public Administration Mentorship Award, the Rita Mae Kelly Distinguished Research Award, and the John Jay College Faculty Mid-Career Research Award.

1: Introduction: A Liberatory Approach to Identity and Equity in Public Sector Workplaces

Maria J. D’Agostino, Maja Husar Holmes, Nicole M. Elias

Part One Introduction: Complexities of Identity and Equity

Maja Husar Holmes, Nicole M. Elias, Maria J. D’Agostino

2: “Patterns in the Mosaic: Toward A Taxonomy of Common Types of Intersectionality” Schnequa N. Diggs and Nuri Heckler

3: “Caribbean Bodies Marked by Sameness and Differences”

Karen D. Sweeting, Chevanese Samms Brown, Del Bharath, and Pedro Rivera

4: “Neurodiversity and Human Resource Management in the Public Sector Workplace: A Liberatory Approach”

Shilpa Viswanath and Valerie Gudino

5: “Equity, Identity, and Inclusion from a Religious Perspective: The Case of Minoritized and Stigmatized Religion”

Abdul Samad and Shariq Siddiqui

6: “Women in the Civil Service of Ghana: Addressing the Challenges of Equity, Equality, and Inclusion from a Liberatory Consciousness Perspective”

Frank L. K. Ohemeng and Augustina Akonnor

Part Two Introduction: Practical Pathways to Identity and Equity

Nicole M. Elias, Maria J. D’Agostino, Maja Husar Holmes

7: “Preventing the Glass Cliff: Understanding and Overcoming Challenges for Women in Public Sector Leadership Roles”

Trang Hoang, Ratna Okhai, Jungmin Hwang, and Meghna Sabharwal

8: “Managing Identity using Emotional Labor in Sex-Typed Public Service Occupations” Sharon Mastracci and Ian T. Adams

9: “A Roadmap for Hispanic Advancement in the Public Sector”

Elsa-Sofia Morote

10: “Internal Branding for Equity: Creating a Sense of Belonging in Public Sector Organizations”

Jourdan A. Davis

Part Three Introduction: Assessing Progress in Workplace Identity and Equity

Maria J. D’Agostino, Maja Husar Holmes, Nicole M. Elias

11: “Thinking about Diversity and Inclusion: An Analysis of Progress, Impediments, and Future Prospects in the Canadian Federal Public Service”

Jocelyn McGrandle and Frank L.K. Ohemeng

12: “Making Sense of Gender Equality in the Public Sector: Do Economic Downturns and Recovery Impact Social Equity in the Workplace?”

Rachel Pierson-Bonin and Jaclyn Piatak

13: “Leading towards Inclusiveness in Public Organizations”

Tanachia Ashikali

14: Conclusion: Advancing Identity and Equity in Public Sector Workplaces

Maja Husar Holmes, Nicole M. Elias, Maria J. D’Agostino

Acknowledgements

Index