Ethnoracial Representation and the Politics of Public-Sector Responsiveness

Abstract

Representation in service-providing organizations is vital to the inclusion of ethnoracial minorities in a democratic society. The political contexts that encompass these organizations can influence the equity of services that historically underserved groups experience. These contexts are especially meaningful for Latino communities, where bureaucratic representation is a growing venue of responsiveness in American democracy. Yet relatively little attention has been devoted to understanding how this politics – bureaucracy intersection influences their outcomes. This study focuses on this intersection against the backdrop of Latinos and education governance. Combining data from various sources, the empirical analysis examines the relationship between political contexts and group representation among managers and street-level personnel. The findings reveal that factors such as community partisanship significantly affect Latinos’ representation and educational outcomes. They also highlight the need for a deeper understanding of how such factors influence the representation and inclusion of Latinos and other ethnoracial minorities across an array of organizational settings.