Building Competencies in Anti-Racism Policy Analysis: Implications for Policy Studies
The policy community has an important role in helping to dismantle systems of racial discrimination and a significant aspect of this movement forward is building anti-racism policy analysis competencies.
A vision for anti-racism policy analysis
One of the common areas of discourse in the policy community is about competencies, and what a policy professional’s skillset should include. This discussion is reflected, for example, in a journal article that I often refer to in a 2015 edition of the academic journal, Policy and Society, which suggests a framework for understanding policy competencies. Naturally, then, a key question becomes: what is the place of anti-racism policy analysis in policy studies? Additionally, how can students of policy analysis build this analytical skill?
It’s clear that policy professionals should build anti-racism policy analysis into their skillset – we know that systemic racism exists and is perpetuated in public policy and corporate policy processes. But we shouldn’t only think of practicing policy professionals when we think of anti-racism policy analysis. It’s essential that students of public policy learn about this way of thinking, this type of analysis, and are appropriately prepared to provide policy advice and guidance in a world where systemic racism and racial discrimination are still major issues that affect our everyday lives and outcomes across societies globally.
What is anti-racism policy analysis?
Anti-racism policy analysis, simply put, is a type of analysis that centers the elimination or dismantling of systemic racism through policy processes and policy decision-making.
This approach to policy analysis can be applied to the Stages Model of the policy process – in fact, there can be a seamless integration of both approaches. This can lead to policy-making that is more grounded in our current reality and more likely to result in effective government and corporate decision-making.
Policy literature: what does it say about anti-racism policy analysis?
There is a significant gap in the public policy literature around anti-racism policy, anti-racism policy analysis, and racial equity. This is especially true in the Canadian policy literature. In my experience and scan of literature, Canadian policy literature is largely silent on the notion of policy analysis that centers anti-racism. With this realization, it’s clear that it’s time to focus energy on building a body of academic literature that centers anti-racism policy analysis. Policy schools, think tanks, academic journals, and policy networks outside of government have a major role to play in making policy studies more inclusive and placing a specific focus on anti-racism policy analysis.
Building policy students’ anti-racism policy analysis competencies
A scan of leading Canadian public policy schools also shows that anti-racism policy analysis is not a focus of instruction or learning, nor is it a term that is commonly referenced, if at all. It’s time to move forward, collectively, to close this gap in the policy community.
There are many different ways to incorporate anti-racism policy analysis into public policy and public administration programs. For example…
The most direct way is to include anti-racism policy and policy analysis as a specific area of focus, through incorporating it into course content, or creating entire courses that focus on anti-racism or other equity-based issues.
There can also be more policy internships focused on advancing racial equity, and internships that are based in the communities of negatively racialized groups, or in groups that serve Indigenous communities, Black communities, or other racialized communities
Policy schools can also have more events focused on anti-racism, and invite guest speakers who specialize in this area.
Applying and centering anti-racism policy analysis
Advancing anti-racism policy analysis is a part of advancing a broader human rights analytical framework in policy studies – and this is an essential part of moving policy studies forward in a progressive way that upholds equity and inclusion.
We now can help to move this forward by building the academic and professional architecture to ground this approach into one that is more accessible to new, current, and future policy professionals, both in the Canadian landscape and internationally.
Bringing anti-racism policy analysis into more of the forefront of the policy studies community and bodies of literature can help to make policy feel more real and practical for youth and people of all ages. Too often, as a policy professional, I come across sentiments that policy and policy analysis feel abstract and intangible, especially from groups that are negatively racialized or otherwise experience socioeconomic marginalization due to factors of their identity. This is no surprise – these are the groups that have found it challenging to engage in policy development or in the policy community, more generally.
Mainstreaming anti-racism policy analysis will not only help to bring these groups more into the policy community and help to make public policy processes more inclusive – but will also help to advance our collective human rights values and responsibilities to ensure that we all live free of discrimination in all its forms. Applying anti-racism analysis in this way can help to improve our individual and collective well-being by integrating it into learning systems and building it into public policy decision-making. The policy community has an important role in making this a reality, and a significant aspect of this movement forward is building anti-racism policy analysis competencies.