In 2024, A Look Back at 2017 in Public Administration Theory

 In 2024, A Look Back at 2017 in Public Administration Theory

Julie Ann Racino, Community and Policy Studies

April 8, 2024

     In 2016, after the American Society for Public Administration Conference in Seattle, Washington, Julie Ann Racino suggested an ASPA Panel for Atlanta, Georgia in 2017 to Public Administration and Disability Interim Committee Members and ASPA Board Members, Stephen Rolandi and Andrea J. Huston. Allan J. Bergman had graciously agreed to Co-Chair the Committee. 

    The following is part of the original proposal (with a panel accepted for the 2017 Annual Conference) titled Expanding Theories in Disability and Community: From Community Integration and Clinical Adjustment to Community Inclusion, Equity and Sustainability in the Age of Terrorism.

The panelists will present on specialty areas from community integration theories (e.g., gender-based, multicultural, health-based), to mental health and criminal justice theories, the military and war in societies, and the inclusion in the age of terrorism. These theories minimally include:

• Normalization-based theories (and evidence-based practices)
• Social role valorization theories (e.g., competency-based, life quality)
• Gender-based theories (e.g., LGBTQ)
• Health-based theories (e.g., human ecology, environmental health)
• Diversity and multicultural theories (e.g., religion, ethnicity)
• Disability-based integration theories (and mental health)
• Income integration theories (now social and income disparities)
• Family support (family theories) and independent living theories
• Community support as integration theory (e.g., post deployment)
• Community integration theories, personal and universal

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN ENABLE, 2006) are largely based upon the above frameworks prevalent as leadership through the 2000s from the 1970s reform periods. Over 196 Nations have ratified the treaty, and the US has signed and is still awaiting ratification by US Congress. 

In the age of terrorism, the prevalent theories are shifting to the criminal justice and involuntary gates (greater role of homeland security, nursing facilities, home evictions), and involve increasing disputes on societal inclusion regarding critical concepts such as inclusion, equity and sustainability (transportation), community care and long term services and supports (LTSS), public health (HIV-AIDS), social and economic justice, controversies in the US (e.g., gun control), and immigration and migration  (e.g., from Bosnia to Turkey and Syria) in 2016 and beyond.

In addition, the US is expected to shift to a minority-majority population base by 2020 to 2030, in part due to immigration and diverse birth rates (e.g., Mayor of Minneapolis, MN, 2015). Similar to the Obama era, greater increase in minority leadership (e.g., black Mayors in US) is expected in health and human services planning. Criminal justice has published on the concept of community integration as guiding its fields and work, in addition to reintegration programs from hospitals and medical centers in fields such as brain injury.

Traditional theories in ascendancy, in addition to the framework on poverty and social inclusion and social exclusion from the European Union, now post-Brexit, include:

• Race-based, social justice and minority empowerment theories (e.g., Black Lives Matter, equity in planning and development)
• Clinical, adjustment and disease-based theories (e.g., mental health, substance abuse and addictions, non-profits in clinical roles)
• Social work and nursing disciplinary theories (versus public administration theories and public health theories)
• Theories of differentness (natural variation) and dissent theories (protests)
• Theories of control and decisionmaking (e.g., the choice of homelessness)
• Theories of subversion and covert actions (in context of increased surveillaince)
• Theories of punishment versus rehabilitation (including concepts of restitution versus retribution)
• Theories of inclusion in societies (at immigration and migration, reintegration and employment and military, post war injuries).

Theories of public administration and disability (all of the above, including all social empowerment and social inclusion/exclusion, to family and social policies, smart growth, go green and sustainability, charities and fundraising, community theories, and their implications) will form the heart of the presentations.

The panel will open questions to the audience, and present from the context of academic theories, and their peer-reviewed journal contexts. The panelists include both national researchers and non-profit, government, university and field practitioners. References and handouts will be available to the participants in the session, in addition to the panel and slide presentations. Paper is planned for submission to Public Administration Review in 2017 which needs a theory review of public administration and disability.

Inquiries regarding the proposal to Julie Ann Racino ( 9/23/2016 6:19 am!)

The revised panel was held on Sunday, March 19, 2017 from 8:30 am to 10:00 am in the Augusta Room (Track Public Administration Theory).

Title: Expanding Theories in Disability and Community: From Community Integration to Community Inclusion, Equity and Sustainability

Endorsed by Section on Public Administration Research

Moderator: Allan Bergman

Presenters: Andrea Huston, Julie Ann Racino, and Stephen Rolandi

As reported earlier on the blogspot, US Biden-Harris Administration has announced public policies as Inclusion, Equity and Diversity. In addition, Bidenś first Executive Order was on Climate Change, relative of the sustainability period in US (See, in particular, the Sustainable Development Goals-SDGs of the United Nations).