Administrative Dilemmas Research Articles

Exploring Lecturers Ethical Dilemmas in Digital Communication: A Case Study of Telegram Usage in College Education in Russia

This research examined the ethical implications of using Telegram chats in college education, focusing on the Social Penetration Theory (SPT) to understand its impact on interpersonal relationships. The study aims to identify ethical dilemmas faced by lecturers and chat administrators. Data was collected from the Creative Industry Faculty in Novosibirsk, Russia, using hermeneutic phenomenological interviewing between February and April 2023. The sample includes six female lecturers (age M=35, SD=15) and three chat administrators (two female, one male; age M=20, SD=2), who provided written consent and used pseudonyms. The findings of this research revealed ethical concerns such as students seeking attention and engaging in provocative behavior through jokes and intolerant remarks. Students also desired more informal communication with lecturers, crossing boundaries by sharing personal problems and engaging in discussions involving partying, smoking, and alcohol use. These behaviors presented ethical dilemmas for lecturers and chat administrators, including decisions about sharing received information and addressing online behavior offline. The study highlights the need for ethical regulations in online college communication. Limitations include the small sample size, and future research should include more diverse groups of lecturers and officials from various college departments.

Dilemmas of Public and State Administration: Bilingualism Bonus or Multilingualism without Bonus

Abstract The role of education systems is crucial in creating bilingualism and multilingualism. Based on domestic and foreign literature and structured interviews with public officials in North Macedonia and Italy, the article analyses the solutions and incentives for institutional bilingualism, which have proven insufficient thus far. It also offers a model of multilingualism as a concept of an ideal environment where speakers can communicate using multiple languages. The impact of new information and communication technologies on language learning and use in bilingual areas and their contribution to the creation of an ideal environment conducive to multilingualism will also be examined. The data obtained shows, among other things, that artificial intelligence is also revolutionising language use and learning. Nonetheless, despite rapid progress, human communication in different languages cannot be replaced by artificial algorithms.

Prioritizing exceptional social needs. Experimental evidence on the role of discrimination and client deservingness in public employees’ and citizens’ discretionary behavior

This study examines how public employees and citizens exercise administrative discretion in a dilemma. To identify and compare the moral reasoning underlying discretionary choices, we conducted a conjoint experiment among public employees, future civil servants, and lay citizens in Germany. In the conjoint, respondents were forced to prioritize between two equally eligible welfare claimants. Claimants’ profiles vary concerning attributes reflecting earned-deservingness (e.g., non-self-inflicted welfare dependency), need-deservingness (e.g., dependent children), and attributes that can be used for unlawful discrimination (e.g., nationality). While some signs of discrimination exist, need-deservingness is the most important factor shaping respondents’ prioritization choices. More importantly, we find no substantial differences in prioritization choices among public employees and citizens, indicating congruence in moral reasoning. From these findings, we conclude that efforts to reflect on national prejudices in the education of civil servants should be intensified, and a renewed emphasis on administrative ethics is required to equip public employees with the ability to make impartial yet balanced judgments in administrative dilemmas.

Open for Economic Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Related to State Reopening Policies in a Federal Policy Vacuum

What factors influence state governors to issue an executive order to reopen economic activities more or less quickly when removing the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions? Without comprehensive federal guidelines, state governors were faced with an administrative dilemma in devising mitigation policies that promoted safe public health measures while encouraging more business activity. Following the federal directive to reopen in April 2020, governors in all 50 states signed executive orders, but some waited longer than others. We argue that variation in the timing of the enactment of initial executive orders is influenced by political factors, financial resources factors, interstate factors, and problem severity of the public health incidence. Using an event history analysis, our Cox proportional hazard regression model suggests that states with unified Republican governments, more state funding obtained from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and participation in regional collaboration resumed activities earlier compared to states with more neighbors that issued reopening executive orders and states with more per capita income. Results indicate that, in crisis situations, unified political partisanship, the receipt of federal funding, and coordination with other states facilitate rapid policy adoption.

Can Hong Kong exceptionalism last? Dilemmas of governance and public administration over five decades 1970s-2020

PurposeThe purpose of this book launch speech is to introduce the book I author, Can Hong Kong exceptionalism last? Dilemmas of governance and public administration over five decades 1970s-2020 (2021). The book critically reviews the governance and public administration from 1970s to 2020, identifying strengths and capabilities as well as constraints and dilemmas.Design/methodology/approachThe book is based on my decades of academic observations and personal political experience by interpreting and re-interpreting the Hong Kong journey, with reflections on past assumptions and raising new questions.FindingsThis book identifies five exceptional aspects: (a) Under British rule Hong Kong was governed as an atypical colony; (b) It was one of the Four Little Dragons as part of the East Asian Miracle; (c) In the 1990s, it was one of the regional pioneers in public sector reform; (d) The unique constitutional status of post-1997 Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China; (e) After reunification, the SAR government, though only semi-democratic, is checked by balancing and monitoring mechanisms no less vigorous than some developed democracies. It also examines various governance problems faced in the post-1997 period.Originality/valueHong Kong is again in times of uncertainty and volatility. The city has entered a ‘second transition’ after 2020, and it is undergoing a bigger test than in 1997. After reviewing the past, I opine in the book that Hong Kong has to identify its niche areas, not only in economics. It needs a paradigm shift in how it relates to the Mainland within ‘One Country’ and how it relates to the world as a global metropolis.

“We’ll See Who’s Powerless Now!” Using WALL-E to Teach Administrative Ethics

Using fiction is a popular way to communicate sometimes-complex administrative practices. This paper uses Disney Pixar’s WALL-E to examine the movie’s ethical dilemmas and how to communicate those in the public management classroom. Through a content analysis of the movie, several overall ethical themes emerged: ethical use of technology, environmental ethics, and consumerism as administrative dilemma. Each is explained using exemplar stories from the film. The research builds on the growing realization that popular culture is relevant to understand governance practices and vice versa.

The Pat Jasan drug eradication social movement in Northern Myanmar, part three: Legal pluralism & the challenge of everyday justice

This paper provides an overview of the activities of a large drug eradication movement called Pat Jasan in northern Myanmar. It will outline the different everyday justice systems available in the Myanmar borderlands to communities who are seeking to push forward a ‘solutions focused’ agenda to manage drug-related social problems. They have at their disposal a range of statutory, customary, and quasi-statutory-customary legal processes and instruments. However, a close analysis of everyday justice highlights the complex challenges posed in this contested borderland concerning how to address these issues through multiple, overlapping authorities. The paper shows how notions of legitimacy for drug related legal processes are constructed and the key role of brokers in this environment, who are vital in managing the dilemmas of governance and legal administration. It also touches upon emerging intergenerational and gendered tensions that serve to orientate ideological and political perspectives towards different outcomes as these systems are navigated. The complexity and sensitivity of the local everyday justice social field contrasts sharply with the debates conducted about Pat Jasan at a national and drugs policy reform level, in which these local actors are marginalized as disruptive and reactionary forces that work entirely outside the rule of law. The paper invites consideration of how national and international drug policy actors engage with such social movements, as well as how concerns about illicit drug use and supply within local communities provides a helpful tool of analysis for understanding other critical issues for sustainable development and peacebuilding.

Holding aid-related misconduct accountable: civil and administrative remedies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical analysis on aid-related misconduct and sectoral regulatory failures. Via a series of Oxfam revelations, this paper aims to highlight potential civil and administrative remedies to rectify wrongdoings and increase accountability in aid organizations.Design/methodology/approachChronicling recent revelations of misconduct by aid workers, this paper begins with an overview of moral and legal responsibilities of the entrusted; then it illustrates how the Oxfam misconduct violates those moral and legal responsibilities in aid delivery. The author draws upon legal and administrative dilemmas on regulating the aid sector and aid workers’ behavior. Finally, this paper offers practical civil remedies for the harmed and administrative remedies for long-term institutional reforms.FindingsThe damage – across a broad spectrum of interests, caused by aid workers engaging in exploitative conduct – not only is a betrayal of the trust reposed by vulnerable people in these individuals but also a failure with far-reaching implications on the part of the donor organizations. The use of the criminal law in aid-related misconduct is highly problematic, assuming a specific offense is committed (which, in many cases, it may not have). There are jurisdictional limitations on the ability of donor countries and international regulations other than in regard to peacekeepers are almost nonexistent. Given such context, civil and administrative remedies provide a viable alternative for the harmed who seek justice.Research limitations/implicationsLegal remedies can be highly jurisdictional contingent. Depending on the specific jurisdiction where misconduct takes place, there are potentially other suited remedies not mentioned in this paper to address aid workers’ unethical behavior.Practical implicationsThis paper provides tips on using existing legal channel (the civil law) and available pro bono resources to hold transgressors and their employers accountable.Social implicationsEffective regulating aid-related conduct prevents further harm on vulnerable people and restores public trust in the aid sector.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the regulatory blind spot on aid workers’ exploitative conduct through the context of Oxfam revelations. Second, it provides practical policy recommendations for navigating legal and administrative dilemmas on regulating aid workers’ behavior.

Opening or Delaying School: A Dilemma for Parents, School Administrators and Teachers

Opening or Delaying School: A Dilemma for Parents, School Administrators and Teachers

Climate change adaptation and local government: Institutional complexities surrounding Cape Town's Day Zero.

The challenges associated with climate change in local governments are growing daily. One such challenge is water security, an aspect that draws us to the subject matter of climate change adaptation. This article discusses findings about institutional complexities surrounding Day Zero, a concept associated with water taps running dry because of drought conditions as aggravated by climate change in the city of Cape Town, South Africa. The thrust on institutional complexities is deliberate, as this affects how crisis situations like Day Zero were handled. The data were generated mainly from the actor–actant–network theory, events study as well as document and discourse analysis methods. The actor–actant–network theory is used widely to trace how actors (humans) and actants (non-human phenomena) interact in space and time through their networks, following narratives like Day Zero, and act on climate-related matters. The analysis applied elements of grounded theory, resulting in categories and themes emerging for discussion. The article found that narratives surrounding Day Zero were embedded in both political and administrative dilemmas and red tape. Despite these challenges, the article concludes that Day Zero remains one of the landmark learning points for climate change adaptation and water security in Cape Town, South Africa, and in other cities across the world. The article recommends that Day Zero experiences continue to be embraced positively and documented further to enhance local government climate adaptation for water security currently and into the future as well.

Coaching for Chaos: A Qualitative Study of Instructional Methods for Multipatient Management in the Emergency Department.

Busy environments, like the emergency department (ED), require teachers to develop instructional strategies for coaching trainees to function within these same environments. Few studies have documented the strategies used by emergency physician (EP)-teachers within these busy, chaotic environments, instead emphasizing teaching in more predictable environments such as the outpatient clinic, hospital wards, or operating room. The authors sought to discover what strategies EP-teachers were using and what trainees recalled experiencing when learning to handle these unpredictable, overcrowded, complex, multipatient environments. An interpretive description study was conducted at multiple teaching hospitals affiliated with McMaster University from July 2014 to May 2015. Participants (10 EP-teachers and 10 junior residents) were asked to recall teaching strategies related to handling ED patient flow. Participants were asked to describe techniques that they used, observed, or experienced as trainees. Two independent coders read through interview transcripts, analyzing these documents inductively and iteratively. Two main types of strategies to teach ED management were discovered: 1) workplace-based methods, including both observation and insitu instruction; and 2) principle-based advice. The most often described techniques were workplace-based methods, which included a variety of insitu techniques ranging from conversations to managerial coaching (e.g., collaborative problem-solving of real-life administrative dilemmas). A mix of strategies are used to teach and coach trainees to handle multipatient environments. Further research is required to determine how to optimize the use of these techniques and innovate new strategies to support the learning of these crucial skills.

Ethical Responsibility of Public Administrators from the Legislator’s View: An Analysis Based on a California Case Study

This article reexamines the ethical responsibility of public administrators by investigating their role in policy process as perceived by legislators. The current dilemma for public administrators is how to pursue the public good in Madison’s model of checks and balances. California legislators in the 2014 session were surveyed regarding four policy scenarios and their perceptions of the administrator’s role in policymaking. Their responses are used to explore how legislators’ perceptions of the administrator redefine the administrator’s ethical environment. Factional factors (e.g., party divisions) may serve as an invitation for administrative input in the legislative policy process.

Institutional Treatment for Juveniles in India

India is a home to almost 19% of the World’s children. More than one third of the country’s population is below 18 years. The children are considered as the future productive citizens of the country, therefore it is necessary to make them healthier, educated, protected and well developed. 40% of India's children are vulnerable to or have difficulties in living a normal standard life. Juvenile delinquency is a subject which has attracted the attention of law makers in India for over the last 150 years. The subject is a sign of a sick society. Overcrowding in cities, increasing number of slums, gambling drinking etc., are some of the factors responsible for the delinquency rate. Indian society in general, though rural in character, cannot escape the impact of urbanization resulting in crime and delinquency. The internal and external environment or the psycho-pathological elements in the individual play an important role in shaping the child's future. The future of juveniles is not dark, but needs proper long term perspective and planning. The to life and personal liberty is the most precious right guaranteed under our Indian Constitution. This right is curtailed when a is sent to institutions but it is necessary to take such action from a reformation point of view. As Gandhiji said a person cannot be corrected by hate but by love and affection especially when it comes to children. This paper discusses the children who are in need of care and protection, who if not dealt with will definitely lead to a great social problem in the near future. In spite of several dilemmas of correctional administration, this paper tries to reflect the various treatment methods (Institutional and non-institutional) for juveniles in India. The correctional institutions are to be looked upon as hospitals and the children in need of care and protection as the patients; what is needed is just a treatment to make him/her fit for the society.

Institutional Treatment for Juveniles in India- A Critical Analysis

India is a home to almost 19 % of the World's children. More than one third of the country's population is below 18 years. The children are considered as the future productive citizens of the country, therefore it is necessary to make them healthier, educated, protected and well developed child. 40% of India's children are vulnerable to or have difficulties in living a normal standard life. Juvenile Delinquency is a subject which attracted the attention of the law makers in India for over the last 150 years. The subject is a sign of sick society. Overcrowding in cities increasing number of slums, gambling drinking etc are some of the factors responsible for delinquency rate. Indian society in general though rural in character, cannot escape the impact of urbanization resulting in crime and delinquency .The internal and external environment or the psycho-pathological elements in the individual play an important role in shaping the child's future. The future of Juveniles is not dark, but needs proper long term perspective and planning. The' right to life and personal liberty ‘is the most precious right guaranteed under our Indian Constitution. This right is curtailed when a person is sent to institutions but it is necessary to such action from reformation point of view. As Gandhiji said a ‘person cannot be corrected by hate but by love and affection' especially when it comes to CHILDREN. This paper discusses the children who are in need of care and protection, who if not dealt with will definitely lead to a great social problem in the near future. In spite of several dilemmas of correctional administration this paper tries to reflect the various treatment methods (Institutional and non-institutional) for the juveniles in India. The Correctional Institutions are to be looked upon as hospitals and the children in need of care and protection as the patients, what is needed is just a treatment to make him/her fit for the society.

Administrative Aspects of Alternative Consumer Dispute Resolution in the European Union (EU), Slovenia and Croatia

Abstract The consumer field is widespread and often encompasses different legal fields on a single market, especially when it comes to the field of consumer protection. In fact, the consumer mostly remains a weaker party in resolving consumer disputes, especially in administrative proceedings. Traditional court proceedings do not always offer the most cost-appropriate way of resolving consumer disputes, because the damage with legal costs is disproportionate, especially in Small Claims (20 EUR). In theory, Alternative Dispute Resolution (hereinafter: ADR) is considered more flexible, faster and cheaper for disputes between consumers and businesses. Insofar, Consumer ADR (hereinafter: CADR) is seen as a useful tool that helps consumers realize their right of access to justice. It is argued that CADR systems provide valuable information on the needs of disputants, while preserving confidentiality, increasing consumer satisfaction, equality and grater trust. While CADR is praised in theory as an added value, in practice it still remains unrecognizable and therefore is seen as an ineffective formalism in some EU countries. It seems that consumers and businesses lack awareness of the CADR schemes and their benefits, which have effects on the efficient use of CADR in different public and private institutions. The focus of this paper is on the field of Public Administrative Law, which, through different approaches of scientific analysis, combines the main administrative aspects of CADR systems in the EU. Special attention is given to different administrative barriers in the development of various CADR schemes, which cause the formation of administrative dilemmas in some Member states. The new EU legal regulation on Consumer ADR, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and EU Administrative law have set flexible rules and principles that would assure the quality of dispute resolution between EU entities with private or public interests. Similarities in proposed principles would lead us closer towards a common European Administrative Space. However, so far such EU initiatives have left many questions unanswered regarding the supervision and financing of CADR schemes, as well as the administrative issues about the purely internal harmonization of “administrative” CADR practices in Member States. An example of the substantial administrative dilemmas in CADR practices, mostly in the field of universal services, can be recognized in existing CADR systems in selected EU countries, e.g. Slovenia and Croatia. POINTS FOR PRACTICIONERS: Special attention is paid to the interplay between the CADR and public administration in the EU, which introduces us to various definitions of the concept of CADR in administrative proceedings. The theoretical view shows that the parties in consumer dispute resolution produce various legal relationships (C2B/G or G/B2C, B2B or G2B) of different legal natures (public or private interests), whether under administrative or civil law. Through comparative analysis of the concept of CADR in administrative proceedings among selected EU countries, divergences are shown in the legal framework of CADR procedures, existing CADR schemes and measuring efficiency tools for CADR procedures, which causes key administrative dilemmas in the main sectors of universal services. Despite divergences, some similarities appear between new principles of proposed new EU regulation, which could lead us closer to a common European Administration law. Unfortunately, the statistical analysis of existing CADR cases in selected Member states indicates an inefficient use of these pledged mechanisms. The given guidelines and improvements with one coherent CADR model contribute to the achievement and pursuit of the set goals towards an efficient European Administrative space.

Between righteous legacy and Pyrrhic victory – an administrator's dilemma

Synopsis When do you throw it all away? The first senior female in a male-dominated business school decides it all comes down to a question of principle – and maybe a few others. What is the best balance between her responsibilities to students, family, and the next generation of female leaders? Can she both be true to herself and compromise? What factors should influence this decision? This case brings together questions about power and influence, rational decision-making, leadership, and the intra and inter-personal responsibilities of organizational “firsts.” Further, issues related to a university's effort to better compete within the global higher education marketplace, provide a valuable opportunity to explore institutional approaches to promoting diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency. Research methodology This case, which was developed from primary sources, highlights the array of competing objectives and personal and political tensions involved in university administration. Relevant courses and levels This case was designed for graduate students in Masters of Public Administration, Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Education in Organizational Leadership, or similar graduate degrees that include significant management and leadership content. Students working with this case should have already completed foundational courses in topics such as organizational management, public policy, leadership, strategic human resources management, or their equivalents within their respective programs of study. Virtually all of the issues raised by this case address core themes, concepts, theses, and theories associated with an accredited graduate program in educational management, business or public administration.

The formation of “managementhood” in a psychiatric hospital

This article examines how unitary management as a discourse of general management is able to permeate a psychiatric hospital through the management training program. The argument is that the management training program was a pervasive vehicle in reconstituting the “subjectivities” of those involved to the extent that it made the managers see themselves as the driving agents of the structural changes. The training program stressed the unitary managers’ freedom as they assumed responsibility without being ordered to, were expected to evaluate their actions, and were told to continue improving their managerial practices. The individual manager was put in the fore and given the power to drive the changes in their professional–managerial role. The central focus is how senior managers’ “managementhood” was constructed through training session meetings. Disagreements or oppositions to the program were refigured into administrative dilemmas by rephrasing disagreements as communication problems and by the interpellation to create “managementhood”: “What will you do then?” The training program meetings are analyzed as technologies that operate within a “dispositif” in the sense that the meetings shape the range of possible actions and outcomes of the organization and they also serve to disseminate the key organizing metaphors through which the organization and its participants are to plan and implement their activities. Actual meetings get agents to commit themselves to the employment of the organizing metaphors of the general management discourse.

The Dutch Social Support Act in the shadow of the decentralization dream

A substantial reform in the social domain is taking place in the Netherlands. Different schemes involving social care and support, basic income provisions and youth care are being transferred from the national to the local level. The political focus on decentralization as a solution for the increasing public expenses has raised renewed discussions about the classic administrative dilemma of central, uniform regulation on the one hand and free space for democratic communities on the other. This article addresses the administrative dilemma in relation to the Social Support Act that has been in force since 2007. This Act is being implemented by the municipalities and will increase in scope as a result of the reforms at hand. The article examines to what extent the municipalities succeed in achieving the objectives of the Act and how the consequences of the administrative dilemma affect the achievements.

Districts, local education authorities, and the context of policy analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the author's commentary on the special issue of Journal of Educational Administration entitled “Systemwide reform: examining districts under pressure”.Design/methodology/approachThe author gives her personal opinions, draws upon her recent experiences in the national study of US district leadership for school improvement, recent engagement with one specific US district's improvement efforts and work with colleagues in Europe on how a nation's culture mediates global policy trends.FindingsOne striking feature is the degree to which the language of “New Public Management” (is suffused within all of the papers).Originality/valueThe author notes that each paper peels a layer of the opaque onion of systemic school reform initiatives in the USA and was struck by the papers’ insight into current policy and administrative dilemmas facing districts in the USA – and also by their uniquely American perspective.

Ethics of Administration – Towards Sustainability and Cosmopolitanism

After the publication of my book Ethics for Psychologists, one reviewer asked the question about whether and when I would write an ethics of public administration.With this suggestion in mind, I proposed a new book to the publisher (DJØF’s forlag – Danish Lawyer’s and Economist’s publishing company) and the publisher accepted. So now the problem is how to formulate an ethics of administration. Indeed, facing the present global crisis and the need for global principles of sustainability and cosmopolitanism it could be argued that public administration ethics should be redefined according to these ethical ideals. As such I would argue that a book about ethics of administration should deal with ethical theories and principles and dilemmas of public administration in public organizations and institutions, i.e. state, regional and municipal administrations and bureaucracies, including ethical dimensions of the work of courts, police and military. A presentation of ethics of administration should also look at problems and dilemmas in different types of more or less public organizations and institutions.