Toward the Roux: Explaining the Adoption of Inclusionary Practices in Local Governments

• Author: Mac-Jane Crayton,Jonathan M. Fisk,John Morris,Jan Hume,Geoffrey A. Silvera,Xi Chen,Xiaofeng Chen
• DOI: 10.1177/0160323X20986845
• Date: 01 June 2020
• Published date: 01 June 2020
• Subject Matter: General Interests

General Interest

Toward the Roux:

Explaining the Adoption

of Inclusionary Practices

in Local Governments

Jonathan M. Fisk

1

, Geoffrey A. Silvera

1

, John Morris

1

,

Xi Chen

1

, Jan Hume

1

, Xiaofeng Chen

1

,

and Mac-Jane Crayton

1

Abstract

Local governments are turning to a set of practices designed to support a more inclusive workforce.

Yet, less is known as to why localities opt to provide such services. Recognizing this gap, this paper

examines the adoption of three inclusionary practices: offering cultural competency training,

providing documents in multiple languages, and prioritizing language skills in hiring. To do so, this

paper employs a dataset that combines International City/County Management’s (ICMA) Local

Government and Immigrant Communities Survey with Census data and other measures. Results

suggest that local needs and the presence of a professional administrator are associated with more

inclusive practices.

Keywords

local government, cultural competence, inclusion, immigration, innovation

Gumbo is a signature dish of Louisiana, which

combines the cultures of African, French,

Spanish, German, and the Choctaw (First

Nation Tribe). The unique history of this dish

reflects the history of Louisiana a nd its varied

waves of immigration, each group bringing

with them their own particular ingredients, fla-

vors, and culinary techniques. The key to bring-

ing these flavors together is the roux—a

thickening agent composed of equal parts fat

and flour that serves as the base which brings

the most complementary flavors out of each

of the various ingredients. When approaching

the question of diversity and inclusion, the roux

metaphor is illustrative. Like gumbo, local gov-

ernment organizations are often composed of

multiple cultures and groups. Similar to gumbo,

diverse ingredients are only part of the

“recipe.” To capitalize on their diversity, orga-

nizations must make deliberate efforts to culti-

vate inclusion though practices that go beyond

strictly counting (Blessett et al. 2019). In other

words, while diversity and inclusion may

rightly be thought of as two separate principles,

both are needed as communities move to address

pressing challenges and look to engage diverse

1

Department of Political Science, Auburn University, AL,

USA

Corresponding Author:

Jonathan M. Fisk, Department of Political Science, Auburn

University, 7080 Haley Center, Auburn, AL 36830, USA.

Email: jmf0055@auburn.edu

State and Local GovernmentReview

2020, Vol. 52(2) 89-102

ªThe Author(s) 2021

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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X20986845

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