Race, Lived Experience, Representation, and Discrimination: Analyzing the Representative Capacities of the Racial Majority
通过调查非西班牙裔白人执法人员的观点，研究发现他们更认为白人阿片类药物使用障碍患者比黑人患者更值得帮助，而直接的生活经历能消除对黑人客户的负面看法。
The representative bureaucracy theory literature has often focused on the viewpoints, attitudes, and actions of minoritized groups rather than the racial majority, with studies predominately analyzing representative capacities tied to race, ethnicity, and gender. The current research employs both racial and lived experience representation lenses to analyze the viewpoints of non-Hispanic white public servants regarding the deservingness of white, Black, and unidentified clients. Using the opioid crisis as the context, results from an exploratory analysis of a nationwide survey experiment of first responders show that white law enforcement workers view white clients with opioid use disorder as more deserving than Black and unidentified clients. Both indirect and direct lived experiences with substance use disorder predict positive attitudes toward clients. Direct lived experience nullifies the negative beliefs white law enforcement workers express about Black clients, highlighting the significance of the intersection of racial and lived experience representation. Practical implications include promoting organizational practices that leverage the strength of shared lived experience to mitigate racial biases and encourage compassion for clients.