Social equity is one of ASPA's four pillars and a core value that we—its leaders, staff and members—place at the center of our work. In answer to the growing need for an emphasis on this pillar throughout the profession, ASPA is launching a Center for Social Equity to focus on developing teaching/training tools and assessments to increase social equity competency, fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in collaboration with practitioners at all levels of government, encouraging innovative DEI research that serves the public and hosting/coordinating DEI events across the Society.
The Center is named after H. George Frederickson, who is widely recognized as originating the concept of social equity being the “fourth pillar” in public administration and the person most associated with its development and application. As noted by Mary Guy and Sean McCandless, “When H. George Frederickson first coined the term, social equity had to do with the fairness of the organization, its management, and its delivery of public services. Now ensconced in the canon, the term's meaning has broadened to encompass the policy formulation and rulemaking aspect as well as outcomes.” ASPA's Frederickson Center for Social Equity looks to be a resource for all of these concepts and beyond.
The Frederickson Center Vision
To ensure public administration promotes social equity, the general welfare and protection of rights and the dignity of all individuals while fostering tolerance, mutual respect and embracing diversity and inclusion.
Our Mission
To advance social equity in public administration through education, research, engagement and practice by serving as a hub for information, training, advocacy and resource sharing, while acting as a convener and catalyst for meaningful change.
Featured Publication
Auditing for Equity in Local Governments: Lessons Learned
A Report by Benoy Jacob
There are four imperatives in public administration: efficiency, effectiveness, economy and equity. When conducting audits, the first three have garnered more attention than the fourth. This report addresses this gap, describing equity audits in six local government settings, demonstrating how to conduct them. It offers insights into how auditing for equity can be conducted and how equity can be integrated into an organization’s processes, programs, outputs and outcomes.
Five lessons emerge: First, including equity criteria advances program quality. Second, equity auditing supports organizational learning. Third, auditing for equity normalizes it and teaches that equity is a standard dimension of concern. Fourth, understanding the “big picture” is necessary in order to understand the context for how equity issues arise. And fifth, there are both limits and challenges to audits as an equity tool.
Statement on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
IDEA Statement
The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) stands for inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA). This is fundamental for advancing social equity as one of our core values and as embedded in our Code of Ethics. We value the qualities that make each of us distinctive, and we know that inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility are at the core of ASPA's strength. This advances our mission of excellence in public service.
Across our Chapters, Sections, programs, initiatives and members, we embrace the diversity of background, perspective, race, ethnicity, gender, age, language, culture, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and lived experience. We welcome every person's uniqueness and seek their input. We pledge to include IDEA at the center of our daily work, decision making and interactions.
We commit to advancing policies and programs that drive IDEA using promising practices, best practices and breakthrough approaches in all organizations, locally and globally. Inequity, injustice and racism are unacceptable. We are committed to creating and maintaining positive change to advance IDEA in everything we do.
This statement was approved by ASPA's National Council in May 2023.