French-Language Public Administration Research on Social Equity: A Systematic Literature Review

Despite the availability of freely accessible translation tools, research conducted in languages other than English is often overlooked. Findings from foreign contexts are lost, undermining the boundary conditions of theories. This systematic literature review takes stock of methods, theories, and practical recommendations developed in French-language social equity research. Overall, the results suggest that French-language social equity research offers relevant but not in-depth practical recommendations, encompasses a small proportion of papers referring to theories, and is more qualitative method-oriented than quantitative. Our results complement previous findings suggesting the dominance of the quantitative approach to social equity research by bringing to light many qualitative studies. Crucially, unlike English-language social equity research, this study suggests that French-language social equity research rarely focuses on race and ethnicity. Inter-organizational equity, along with regional, intergenerational, and gender equity are frequent loci. The finding of this study bridges a heeded segment of Public Administration scholarship, fostering knowledge sharing across languages and scholarly communities.