Taken together, DEI is typically accompanied by an axiological orientation toward procedural and distributive justice in organizations and institutions. Inclusion refers to creating a culture that fosters belonging and incorporation of diverse groups and is usually operationalized as opposition to exclusion or marginalization. Equity refers to fairness in the treatment of people in terms of both opportunity and outcome.
For our purposes, diversity refers broadly to real or perceived physical or socio-cultural differences attributed to people and the representation of these differences in research, market spaces, and organizations. This is despite ongoing contests over definitions and the lack of a clear consensus about the relative importance (and even the appropriate order) of each component.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become ubiquitous in public and academic discourse.
