Contemporary Trends and Dilemmas of Administrative Ethics in the Developing World

Abstract

In recent years, the question of ethics has drawn considerable attention due to the increased incidence of scandalous corruption committed by top political and administrative officials worldwide. More specific examples of such scandals involving public officials include unfair privatization deals, official patronage, diversion of foreign aid, abuse of campaign finance, and so on (United Nations, 2000b: 3). There is a growing perception and evidence in Western democracies that the incidence of official corruption has worsened, and this is often related to the current changes in ethical standards in the public service (Maesschalck, 2004: 465). As pointed out by Hellsten and Larbi (2006: 135), “scandals in some leading OECD countries (e.g. the UK and USA) and persistent corruption in poor countries with weak governance institutions have generated debates and concerns about public integrity and trust in government”. With regard to the recent scandals (e.g. Enron, Katrina, and Blackwater), episodes of official incompetence, and dependence on business companies, Adams and Balfour suggest that public sector ethics in the US has been degraded to the level of poor Third World countries, and that “the revitalization of public values and ethics seems essential to avoid the further erosion of democracy and continuing loss of legitimacy for government in society” (Adams and Balfour, 2008: 31–32).