ABSTRACT
Is institutional racism a forgotten factor in public administration research? Studies touching on diversity in the discipline often target the training or the competencies needed by professional administrators, best practices related to diversity management, the lack of diversity in upper management positions, and of course issues of retention and promotion. However, the subject of racism itself is seldom addressed in public administration research. Consequently, we ask the following questions. What role does racism, and more specifically institutional racism, play in the functioning of public organizations? How has this question been addressed in public administration and related literature, and what can we learn from the current state of research pertaining to racism in academia?
