Latinx COVID-19 outcomes: Expanding the role of representative bureaucracy

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected many already marginalized groups, including the Latinx population in the United States. While preexisting inequities have amplified the negative impacts of the pandemic, culturally sensitive crisis response is challenged by the diversity and intersecting identities of the nation’s second largest ethnic group. This article examines COVID-19 related inequities among the Latinx population through the lens of Representative Bureaucracy, and suggests that public administration can address COVID-19 inequities through the promotion of passive, active, and symbolic representation while taking into consideration the unique within-group diversity of the Latinx experience. We further suggest that leveraging social networks are one path forward and can demonstrate the particular importance of symbolic representation during crisis response.