Although considerable attention has been focused on the selection of minority candidates for political office, the impact of the increasing numbers of high-level minority administrative appointees has not been systematically examined. As the only work that reflects developments occurring in the 1980s, this volume presents the views of minority administrators together with analyses by three prominent scholars in the field. Six of the chapters are contributed by black, Hispanic, and Native American administrators who exercise substantial policy-making and decision-making authority. The group, which includes two women, consists of two city managers, two police chiefs, a deputy mayor, and the director of a quasi-governmental health organization.
The editors’ introduction to Chapter 1 provides a framework for analyzing the role of minority administrators and their impact on policy issues in urban settings. In the next chapter, the working environment, the constraints, the opportunities, and other factors that affect minority administrators are highlighted. Subsequent chapters explore the ways in which the demands of local governmental systems, traditional role expectations, peer pressures, and the expectations of minority communities influence these administrators’ effectiveness and affect their perceptions of their responsibilities. It is clear that minority administrators confront unique pressures and conflicts in governmental systems that have not always been responsive to the concerns of minority groups. Their racial or ethnic loyalty is frequently questioned and applied as a test on critical issues by minority and majority communities alike. The editors conclude the volume with an examination of differences and similarities in the experiences of the contributing authors and attempt to place common issues in a broader context. Blending theoretical and practical perspectives, this volume offers informed, constructive analyses of a broad range of issues of concern to both minorities and the field of public administration. It will be important reading for students, administrators, and academics as well as the political leadership of black, Hispanic, and Native American communities.
