Public Administrator Practice as Recognition: A Philosophical Case for Public Sector Cultural Competence

Abstract

Cultural competency seeks to promote more constructive and equitable interactions in an increasingly diverse public sector workforce and constituency. However, it continues to meet great resistance, primarily due to adverse long-held beliefs, traditions, and practices. This analysis explores a unique nexus between public administration and philosophy, through an examination of self-formation axes from Honneth’s theory of recognition and attributes of culturally competent public administrators. The results contribute to the development of self-awareness by explaining the intersubjective relations that contribute to individuals’ identity formation and attainment of self-autonomous moral agency. In addition, this research calls for a paradigm-shifting culturally competent ethos throughout the public sector.