The unfair distribution of public sector jobs is a common grievance in many societies, but arguably more so in ethnically polarized ones. Using census data from Kenya and Uganda, two countries with a history of ethnic conflict, this article examines how public employment is allocated in multi-ethnic societies by studying the correlates of holding public sector jobs. The results demonstrate that the public services of Kenya and Uganda are first and foremost comprised of educational elites with considerably higher average levels of educational attainment than across the labour forces at large. However, when education is controlled for, highskilled women and candidates from less developed districts are more likely to work for the state than others. As a result, public sector jobs are more equitably distributed along gender, regional and ethnic lines than education alone would predict. I hypothesize that formal policies to promote regional equity in the provision of basic services in combination with affirmative action measures are contributing to creating comparatively inclusive public services.

中文翻译：

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肯尼亚和乌干达公共服务中的种族（不）平等

公共部门工作的不公平分配是许多社会的普遍不满，但可以说在种族两极分化的社会中更是如此。本文使用来自肯尼亚和乌干达这两个有种族冲突历史的国家的人口普查数据，通过研究公共部门工作岗位的相关性，研究了公共就业在多民族社会中的分配情况。结果表明，肯尼亚和乌干达的公共服务首先由教育精英组成，他们的平均受教育程度远高于整个劳动力队伍。然而，当教育受到控制时，来自欠发达地区的高技能女性和候选人比其他人更有可能为国家工作。因此，公共部门的工作岗位在性别上的分配更加公平，地区和民族的界限，而不仅仅是教育就可以预测。我假设在提供基本服务方面促进区域公平的正式政策与平权行动措施相结合，有助于创造相对包容的公共服务。