Rawls argues that justice is the “moral basis for a democratic society” and “should be the first virtue of social institutions.” However, twenty years after the Rodney King incident that led to the riots in Los Angeles, instances of injustice continue to dominate channels of social media and the news. The Trayvon Martin case was rights are potentially violated through policies that restrict women’s reproductive rights, profile Muslim men and women, and allow law enforcement officers to stop and detain individuals who are thought to be undocumented immigrants. These ever-increasing incidents seem to demonstrate how justice may not be a guiding virtue of social institutions. It thus becomes critical to re-evaluate how justice is defined in the twenty-first century. More specifically, the time has come for the field of Public Administration to revisit Rawls’ Theory of Justice to effectively identify avenues and answers to the question: Where is social justice within public organizations?

The governance structure of American society is predicated upon the notion of “justice for all.” Public administrators are tasked to effectively and efficiently manage public processes while considering issues of equity and justice. However, historically administrators have not always incorporated justice and equity into policy planning and decision-making. This may best be exemplified by administration of the Jim Crow laws of the 1960’s.

The future of public administration, one that incorporates Frederickson’s third pillar of equity - is dependent on justice serving as a core tenet of public management and policy. Without re-evaluating and revisiting the role of justice in administration and policy ,American and global society are faced with a future that is more likely to include the troubles of the past, rather than advancement and evolution.

This symposium will examine issues related to social justice in the twenty-first century in the context of Public Administration. Submissions may consider the following: What does justice mean in the 21st Century? How is justice defined within Public Administration? How do issues of equity, responsibility, and democracy play into how PA defines justice and who is afforded its luxury? What role have social institutions, public policy, and/or public administration played in the (mis) interpretation of justice? The symposium provides authors with an opportunity to address, analyze and possibly even provide solutions to current issues involving social justice. The editors welcome various kinds of full manuscripts including those that are comparative, conceptual, or empirically constructed.

To be considered for the symposium, authors should submit a completed manuscript by July 1, 2013 accompanied with a cover letter that includes the author’s name, affiliation, email address, and primary phone number. Personal information should be on the cover letter only, no identifiable information should be included within the manuscript. All papers submitted will undergo a blind peer-review. After peer review authors may be asked to revise and resubmit the manuscript. In that case, final revisions are due by December 1, 2013.

Manuscripts should conform to the Journal of Public Administration Quarterly guidelines, which can be found at http://www.spaef.com/authors.php.

Questions and symposium submissions should be forwarded to: Tia Sheree Gaynor-Rouse, Marist College, tia.gaynor-rouse@marist.edu, or Hindy L. Schachter, New Jersey Institute of Technology, schachterh@adm.njit.edu

The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2013.