The Role of Public Administration in the Elimination of Inequality

Abstract

The problem of inequality is now requiring solutions that could not be fully found to solve the problem of poverty.  The research question that will be investigated is how to establish a clear distinction between poverty and inequality in public policy debates and how public administrators could formulate and implement policies that will alleviate the current world of inequality.  The elimination of poverty will always be difficult because politicians and bureaucrats do not have full control over its geographic and demographic roots.  While equality can be understood as parity in the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms, and equality of opportunities with regards to education and work and the fulfillment of one’s potential, in policy debates it is the lack of such conditions that is viewed as inequality . Thus, equality is not necessarily viewed as equality of economic conditions but primarily as equality of opportunities for achieving them. This is why it is necessary to refer to the concept of social equity when addressing inequality.  The article will review and analyze current literature on poverty, inequality and social equity and will suggest some new approaches for the elimination of inequality.  Although the necessary initiatives to achieve such an objective have to come from politics, public administrators will ultimately be the ones to provide a definite plan or procedure to ensure the fulfillment of these political initiatives.  The article will address how public policy makers can promote equity and social justice.