Impact of Ethical Infrastructure on the Performance of Executive Power Administrative Units in Bulgaria

Abstract

In the last 30 years, issues related to ethics in the public sector have become increasingly relevant in Bulgaria. Since the democratic changes, the interest in ethics in public structures has increased. A number of studies by international and national institutes and organisations have brought the state of the ethical environment in Bulgaria into the focus of research interest, and have highlighted the problems of corruption and the absence of adequate countermeasures. Corruption is the most obvious manifestation of the lack of a functioning ethical infrastructure or adequate control over administration in our country. Reactive behaviour towards cases of corruption is not an effective mechanism for curbing corruption. Rather, actions need to be based on proactive approaches. Yet, to make adequate choices, it is essential to analyse the level to which the elements of the ethical infrastructure which have an impact on organisational performance and affect the ethical climate have been developed. This research analyses the level of development of ethical infrastructure and its impact on the performance of administrative structures in Bulgaria, while also exploring the respondents’ attitudes towards these issues. It defines the applied models of ethical infrastructure and problem areas in the ethical environment of executive administrations in Bulgaria.