Changing Demographics Of The State Executive Service: A Research Note

Authors

  • William M. Pearson
  • David S. Castle

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.1989.10.0.82-86

Abstract

Demographic data on public employees address two prominent public administration issues: the representativeness of bureaucracy and the qualifications of its personnel. A “representative bureaucracy” reflects the social characteristics of the population and is measured by the access of social groups to government jobs. The relationship between representative bureaucracy and democracy is well established in the public administration literature. A common assertion is that representative bureaucracy reflects attitudes, values, and policy preferences of society, thereby promoting administrative responsiveness to public needs (Meier 1987, 180). Others argue that public confidence increases in political institutions as they become more representative of the population they serve, and the perception of bureaucracy as open to major social groups, particularly women and ethnic minorities, has a necessary symbolic, legitimizing, and stabilizing effect on political systems (Krislov 1974, 64; Krislov and Rosenbloom 1981, 71). A highly qualified, competent, and professional workforce is an equally laudable societal value. It is gauged by the educational attainments and relevant experience of public servants. This study, reporting the demographic composition of the executive service in selected states, has implications for both of these salient concerns.

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Published

1990-01-01

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Section

Articles