Conclusion: Ethics and Public Management—Answers and Questions

Abstract

This conclusion is a synthesis of the preceding chapters within some broader research topics in the maturing subfield of government ethics. Some thirty years after the coalescence of government-ethics research as a self-conscious concerted effort, it is appropriate to ask “What longstanding questions have now been answered?” and “How well have they been answered?” We recognize that, over time, some persisting questions shift in context and new ones arise in response to changing public events and expectations. Thus, the categories used here are framed more broadly than those George Frederickson used in concluding Ethics and Public Administration in 1993. A first concern focuses, for example, on the ethical character of people in public administration (as good or bad) but with greater attention to context (or situation-a troublesome word in some ethical conversations). This is followed by attention to the array of behavioral attributes that affect the ethical quality of decisions made in public-sector settings. A third discussion considers the theoretical nature of public-management ethics in relation to issues raised by contributors to this volume. Finally, this chapter comments on the research implications of concerns arising from each of these integrative discussions.