The Barriers to Equity Report: A Summary on What’s Next
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) just published a report to President Biden to assess the barriers towards fairness and equity in the government — the make them “become now just ideals, but principles embedded in the daily practices by which Government Serves its people.”
OMB is part of the Executive Office of the President — think of it as the Chief Financial Officer for the Federal government. On one side is the Management, and the other is the Budget, so they create the rules by which Federal government agencies must act and be. And importantly — they deliver the funds necessary to accomplish the tasks. On the first day of his (or her) presidency, a new President issues “Executive Orders” (there’s been nearly 14,000 of them) to set the tone and show the world what they will stand for while in office. On his first day in office, President Biden issued Executive Order 13985 on “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government,” signaling that this would be a key initiative of his presidency.
Last Summer, I had the immense pleasure of serving on a number of Policy committees and subcommittees with the Biden/Harris campaign, consulting on a series of policies on 21st Century Government, Innovation, and Change. As we discussed the state of affairs, we painted a picture of an almost post-apocalyptic world, where we’ve been hit by major economic challenges, a pandemic, a deeper awareness of the inequities of our systems, and a climate crisis all at once. Of the items that were ahead of us, the common thread each one of the committees was to have a focus on equity in all our policies. Never before had I seen such a distinct focus on this term, and it was refreshing to use it, yet we still were finding out what it really meant in our own context. In the end, making government services equitable is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and there’s still much more we need to learn to lead towards better outcomes.
Equality vs. Equity
Decades ago, the buzz word of the day was “equality,” and the thinking was that if everyone had equal access to the same resources, products and services, it would provide an equal playing field for all. More recently, the data and stories are painting a different picture — that equality doesn’t always lead to equal outcomes. This nuance was something that Antionette Carroll made clear in my discussions with her while writing Empathy for Change. “Equality is equal access, while equity is equal outcomes,” states Carroll: the Founder, CEO, and President of The Creative Reaction Lab. So as we’ve seen, equity is different than equality.
It’s clear after reading this report that we still don’t have a good understanding of how to really measure equity and real change that leads to equal outcomes can be achieved. Reducing administrative burden, increasing meaningful stakeholder engagement, and focus on long term change is essential for us to achieve the equity we hope to make in the years to come.
Why this is important:
- Equity is deeply linked to empathy — as is humility, and dignity, all of which I cover deeply in my book. If equity is the destination, empathy and humility is the gas to get us there.
- Equity is also linked to change. This focus on equity is also signaling a change in how the government envisions its role in really creating products and services for the people, by the people.
- It’s not often when the highest office in the land mandates a focus on equity, so it’s an indicator that there is a desire to make sustainable changes to government services — and help millions who need it the most.
Report Findings
Here are the key findings from the report (also listed in the White House blog):
- Equity assessment represents an expanding though still nascent body of work in public policy, data science, and organizational change management.
- Administrative burden exacerbates inequity.
- The Federal Government needs to expand opportunities for meaningful stakeholder engagement.
- Advancing equity requires long-term change management, attention to culture, and a dedicated strategy for sustainability.
- The scope of initiatives by the Federal Government creates an opportunity to ensure that resources are made available equitably though financial management and procurement functions.
Not surprisingly, these findings show up all over my own experience and research for my recently published book: Empathy for Change. And also, what’s incredible is that a lot of these findings were what we discovered back in May in the Code for America Summit on the topic of “Building an Equitable Government Together.” I happen to be one of a handful of people selected to nurture the co-creation of the Summit as a Track Lead for Technology and Policy, and led a session around Designing For → With → To: How a Movement is Evolving Equity in the Public Sector” (Breakout Sessions here). Both financial management and procurement functions were heavily present as opportunities to create more equity across the board. And there’s myriad examples of how the administrative burden of government disproportionately hits those who could benefit the most from government programs.
The lack of inequities and meaningful stakeholder engagement was also was a key finding in my research that I did last year as a Technology Policy Fellow on People Powered Policy with the Aspen Institute Tech Policy Hub. In that work, we discovered that at the local level in Oakland public engagement practices were antiquated and required an upgrade to more digital means, especially when it came to public policy creation.
What Now?
Recently I was listening to my spiritual guide, Tara Brach say that “awakening comes down to intention and attention.” I have been spending weeks really trying to understand that phrase for myself, and what it means for the world today. I’m still thinking about it for my own life, yet I also think it’s fitting here. We’re in this space of awakening that’s happening, and with awakening comes a better sense of intention in our work, and yet we still need to keep giving this work the attention it deserves — that we’re always learning and growing and healing the world from the trauma that has been imposed upon it. Victor Udoewa, former Director of Design for 18F, and Service Design Leader, also said that the work ahead for us is hard, and essential.
“Equity is where I might treat different groups differently so that the outcomes are the same for all people. The only way to do that is to meet you where you are and address your specific needs. When you’re doing work for people in groups that are, not only presently but historically for thousands of years, being marginalized, oppressed, and suppressed there is affirmative work to bring them up to the same level.”
This report is one small step towards raising more awareness and can lead to a new awakening that the government desperately needs. Reports like this remind me that the work that we’re doing to critically think about the ways we can reorient ourselves towards empathy and humility (the gas that gets us to equity) is important and cutting edge. It gives me the fuel to keep going and challenging the status quo. I’m grateful that I’m doing this line of work, that could have a major effect on so many people. I’m also grateful to learn from hundreds of other people who are fighting for a more equitable government — through its products, programs, and services — every day.
At the end of the White House blog that announces the report, it says: “In order to accomplish the monumental task of ensuring the Government works for all people, we must face our work with sustained humility and ongoing learning from scientific data and analytical tools to ask more sophisticated questions about inclusion, outcomes, and possibility.” Listening and ceding power to those who need it most, and sifting through the data made through meaningful connections is the work ahead for us — let’s make it happen!
What do you all think about this report? Do you think any of these findings are surprising? What do you think are some of the best ways forward?
