| ROY WILKINS CENTER RELEASES DISPARITY STUDY RESULTS FOR ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
The Roy Wilkins
Center for Human Relations and Social Justice at the University of Minnesota's
Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs has issued the results of a disparity study
it conducted for Essex County, New Jersey. The report, which is the first disparity
study ever commissioned by Essex County, found significant disparities between
the availability and utilization of women and African Americans in the construction
industry; African Americans, women, Asians, and Hispanics in professional services;
and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) as a group among contracts under
$17,500. County leaders plan to use the report to improve the local government
and contracting process.
At the request of Essex County, the research team sought to answer the following
five questions: 1) Are there racial, ethnic, or gender disparities between the
availability and utilization of qualified business firms doing business with
Essex County? 2) What are the possible explanations for any disparities found?
3) Is there discrimination in contract awards or the bidding process in Essex
County? 4) Does the county passively engage in practices that result in disparities?
5) What range of remedies is legally defensible and economically justified in
light of the report's findings?
The report summarizes the findings and recommendations derived from an analysis
of public procurement and contracting by Essex County. The research team analyzed
data from 23 county agencies, interviewed county staff, conducted public forums,
administered and analyzed a web survey of county vendors, examined Census Bureau
data to determine the availability of women- and minority-owned firms, and performed
statistical analysis of the bidding and contracting process.
"On behalf of the Essex County Disparity Study Commission, I heartily
commend [team leader] Dr. Samuel Myers and his colleagues not only for the scholarly
research they conducted, but also for the commitment they have demonstrated
to this project," said Deborah Collins, chair of the Disparity Study Commission.
"They are consummate scholars and researchers who believe in the high social,
economic, and moral value of the work that they do."
The Wilkins Center research team, led by Myers, included former Minneapolis
mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, now a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute, and
Lawrencina Mason Oramalu, associate director of the Wilkins Center. Partnering
organizations included Rutgers University and the Minority
Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund.
The Roy Wilkins Center is a research, teaching, and community outreach center
at the Humphrey Institute. The center works to promote dialogue on racial and
ethnic equality and provides community outreach on issues of greatest concern
to communities of color. The center also strives to educate students of color
in public policy to help their communities gain a more active role in policy
discussions and decision-making that affect people of color. For more information,
visit them online.
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