BLACK BUREAUCRATS: IDENTITY AND REPRESENTATION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Abstract

The research investigates the motivations behind Black bureaucrats’ behavior and their engagement in representative work, their challenges, and their perceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Incorporating representative bureaucracy theory, I aim to better understand how identity influences bureaucratic behavior and representation in public organizations, especially in spaces where the work of these bureaucrats is explicitly racialized through expectations about which clients they will serve, which issues they will focus on, and what types of work will be expected of them. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative data. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black bureaucrats from federal, state, and local levels across various U.S. regions. Additionally, a survey was administered through Prolific and the National Forum of Black Public Administrators, gathering responses from 110 participants.