Ethics Flashcards
A Distinct Public Administration Ethics?
Robert P. Goss (1996)
Ethics is a “system or code of conduct based on universal moral duties and obligations which indicate how one should behave; it deals with the ability to distinguish good from evil, right from wrong and propriety from impropriety.” (Josephson, 1989). Values are core beliefs or desires that guide or motivate attitudes and actions. The role of the public administrator has changed during the present century: (1) the administrator has become a policy maker; (2) the public has demanded both more responsiveness and more responsibility from the administrator; and, (3) the bureaucracy has become professionalized (Denhardt 1988). Two dominant tranditions in PA: bureaucratic ethos (efficiency, efficacy, expertise, loyalty, and accountability) and democratic ethos (citizenship, public interest, social equity, and NPM).
Big Questions in Administrative Ethics: A need for focused, collaborative effort
Terry L. Cooper (2004)
The call here is for the establishment of a center of gravity for the development of administrative ethics around some focused “big questions.” What are the normative foundations for PA ethics? Five areas to be explored to answer this question: (1) regime values, constitutional theory, and founding thought, (2) citizenship theory (PA is representative of the public), (3) social equity (also social justice), (4) virtue, or character based ethics, and (5) public interest. How do American Administrative Ethical Norms Fit into a Global Context? In an increasingly interdependent world aspiring to democracy and market economies, stable gov’ts are achieved by upholding and maintaining self-determination of the citizens of each nation and honesty in domestic and int’l affairs because these help to build trust, both internally within nations and among the nations of the world. How Can Organizations Be Designed to Support Ethical Conduct? The single most frequent problem presented is one concerning an organizational hierarchy, and often an organizational culture, that impedes ethical conduct and punishes those who attempt to act ethically, and sometimes even those who suggest doing so. When Should We Treat People Equally in Order to Treat Them Fairly, and When Should We Treat Them Unequally? The key ethical problem is the conflict between an assertively diverse society and public organizations that attempt to treat everyone the same is that sometimes we need to treat everyone the same, but at other times we need to treat them differently.
Plutocracy, Bureaucracy, and the End of Public Trust
Richard T. Green (2012)
Examines the failures of governance in the American financial system that contributed to the financial and economic crisis of 2007-2008. Senate report found “The crisis was not a natural disaster, but the result of engineered high risk, complex financial products; undisclosed conflicts of interest; and, the failure of regulators, the credit rating agencies, and the market itself to rein in the excesses of Wall Street. PA must pursue effectiveness in protecting rights, in responding to citizens and engaging them in coproduction of public policy as well as public services, in providing minority access, and in redressing grievances, while promoting prosperity and public welfare in frugal and efficient manner.
How to Make the Motivational, Operational: A Response to Rick Green
Anne M. Khademian (2012)
What will we do to realize a financial regulatory system that is individually and systematically smart, properly motivated by the public interest, independent from regulated interests, yet connected sufficiently to be relevant and timely? Any effort to change the regulatory process will be dependent on Congress and they are “not in the mood.” A key role of PA practitioners and scholars is the pursuit of regulatory innovation. The profession of PA needs to become a more active participant in shaping the preparation and capacity of PA.
