Financial constraints to living & working in Washington, D.C. likely define & reinforce the community of people able to stay long enough to achieve senior positions, leading to a policy-making community distinct from the American public.
So what? "Misperceptions & blind spots among decision makers may occur, in part, because their lived experiences primarily reflect those from communities with the resources required to maintain influential roles."
@Sheril Looking forward to reading this later on. It's definitely true that I could not, as a fresh MPA with no family money or support, have gone to DC to pursue my career – and my program was so DC-centric. And when I got there, the lower level staffers were all out of central casting, for sure. Found considerably more (but nowhere near enough) diversity in the NYS legislative staff than I saw in Congress.
I’d have preferred the final article to be longer, because there’s so much more detail & nuance than there was room for. But I’m glad it’s out in the world & hope it sparks some thoughtful conversations.
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