Studying Bureaucracy in a Diverse Democracy

Abstract The federal bureaucracy is well-studied, with developed research agendas on topics related to its policy decisions, performance, and interactions with the broader political system. Yet issues of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness remain relatively understudied by political scientists in this area. In this essay, we provide a blueprint for incorporating these topics into the study of the bureaucracy in political science. We first review the current state of the literature, highlighting two key issues: (1) capacity and performance and (2) political influence. In doing so, we discuss how exploring issues of diversity and equity might shed light on several unresolved questions in these areas and open potential avenues for future research. Overall, we believe that engaging with varied dimensions of diversity is fundamental for enriching the literature on the administrative state and for understanding the efficacy of our democracy in advancing the interests of marginalized groups.