Making Sense of Identity and Equity in Public Sector Workplaces

This important new book offers public administration scholars, practitioners, and students a comprehensive resource to make sense of identity and equity, two of the most crucial, yet complex, concepts for public decision-makers to address.

The chapters in this volume present original research and explore timely and relevant theories and practices of identity and equity in public sector workplaces. To do this, authors present innovative theories and approaches to identity and equity, analyze practical pathways to identity and equity, and critique foundational policy and law addressing identity and equity. The utility of this volume lies in the timeliness and innovative approaches to evolving concepts of identity and equity in public sector workplaces. Applying a liberatory lens, the chapters reflect an expanded interpretation and understanding of identity, the challenges and opportunities for public sector organizations to more fully embrace and integrate diverse identities in the workplace, and paths for future research and application of practices that strive for more equitable and inclusive workplaces.

Making Sense of Identity and Equity in Public Sector Workplaces is essential reading for all students and scholars of public administration as well as those working in public and nonprofit organizations.

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.