Public Sector Ethics Research Articles

Ritual, Memory and Oaths: A Mixed Method Approach to Building Capacity for Ethical Praxis

Building capacity for ethical praxis within the South Australian Public Service is vital to those who serve in the public interest as with the community it serves. The Mixed Method research results reported within this article seek to expose previously unknown knowledge about ritual, oaths, and building capacity for ethical praxis for those employed in administrative tiers of employment, ranging from ASO1 to ASO8, MAS1 to MAS3, PO1 to PO6, and SAES1 to SAES2 within the South Australian public sector. Finding existing ways of improving public sector ethics in South Australia through ritual, memory, and oaths was non-existent, given ethics sensitivity and employee scepticism. No researcher had previously investigated oaths and their impact on individual attitude within the Australian or South Australian Public Service. An outcome of this original research study was the composition of the Lewis Oath theory. The specifically designed hypothetical oath tested was one way of contributing to understanding and subsequently improving public sector ethics. Furthermore, other acknowledged methods for preventing unethical behaviour include, yet are not limited to, the improvement in organisational culture and ethos. Social science researchers and government must recognise the underlying sentiment and attitude of individuals and the collective society if ethical praxis is to be achieved within this context.

The African Tradition and the Nexus Between Public Sector Ethics and Culture: A Critical Analysis

Globalisation of public service delivery practices must overcome cultural and ethical barriers in their diversity. The pervasive Christian gospel and Islamic religion are believed to be concerned more in spirituality and less concerned with governance and political systems. The objective of this study is to expound the dilemma facing an ethical public service delivery system and to suggest possible solutions. The research methodology is a qualitative approach employed through content analysis. Findings indicate that for African states, alternative public service delivery is a question of choice by those wielding power, authority and political will. The study provides ethical initiatives to accommodate such diversity in building public sector ethics and culture. Simply relaying public service delivery strategies deemed successful in other states may not necessarily translate into success due to some ethical and cultural variations. What obtains is that, states that claim to be faith based or to carry religious ethical practices sometimes lead way ahead of others in unethical administrative practices. The contribution of the study is an additional item to the list of factors militating against effective service delivery and lack of public sector cultural ethics. This phenomenon should be tackled head-on so that service delivery is not compromised.

Societal Ethics and Social Entrepreneurship: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Using multilevel modeling and data from 26 countries that include 93,439 individual-level responses on social entrepreneurship for the year 2015, we seek to understand how societal-level ethical orientations impact the likelihood of individuals engaging in social entrepreneurship. We develop a multidimensional representation of societal ethics, in that we draw close parallels between the three institutional pillars—normative, cognitive, and regulatory—with three forms of ethics and use this understanding to predict their effects on the demand for and supply of social entrepreneurs. We find that low behavioral ethics (normative ethics) at the societal level provides opportunities for individuals to become social entrepreneurs. Furthermore, while unselfishness (cognitive ethics) motivates individuals to become social entrepreneurs, high public-sector ethics (regulatory ethics) provides the institutional support for such entrepreneurs to thrive. We contribute to cross-cultural comparative entrepreneurship by providing ethical antecedents of social entrepreneurship through a deeper understanding of the influence of ethics as national-level institutions.

Role of Intrinsic Motivation on Professional Ethics in Public Sector Employees of Nepal

The main concern of this study is to identify the relationship between intrinsic motivation and professional ethics of Federal Affairs and Ministry of General Administration office employees. With respect to this context, the study has been conducted to answer the following questions. Does the professionalism and self-motivation have create causality relation in the public sector employees? What are the factors of intrinsic motivation regulating on the public sector employees? From literature review public sector job trustworthiness as dependent variable and autonomy, relatedness and competency independent variables were identified. Researchers used the both quantitative and qualitative approach to explore the behavior, perspectives, experiences and feelings of people and emphasize the understanding of intrinsic motivation on professional ethics in public sector. Non-probability sampling (purposive sampling) applied in this study. The findings of this study showed that Public sector job trustiness had significant relationship with intrinsic motivational psychological need factors such as: Autonomy, Relatedness and Competence.

The Causal Effect of Public Service Motivation on Ethical Behavior in the Public Sector: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey Experiment

Public service motivation (PSM) and ethical behavior are central concerns in public administration. Yet, experimental evidence on the causes of ethical behavior and the causal effects of PSM remains scarce, curtailing our understanding of both. This article draws on a novel survey experimental design to improve this understanding. The design is based on a simple insight: asking about PSM can render salient PSM-oriented identities of respondents. By randomizing the order of PSM and outcome questions, PSM may be exogenously activated among survey respondents, and the causal effects of this activation assessed. Drawing on this design and a sample of over 5,000 Chilean central government employees—the largest experimental PSM survey sample to date—we find that PSM activation enhances willingness to report ethical problems to management. This provides the first experimental evidence that PSM may promote ethical behavioral intent, and suggests that activating public employees’ PSM can benefit public sector ethics.

What lies ahead for public sector ethics?

AbstractWhat principles and dynamics unite public sector accountability offices—the need for independence, the need for resources, the need for clear mandates and appropriate powers, and the need for buy‐in from those who are being held accountable? This article explores where the field of public sector ethics is heading in the future, particularly in light of the tension with partisan politics in a Parliamentary democracy and the limited legal and administrative tools at the disposal of accountability/ethics officers. More broadly, this article will examine the significance of advancing a community of interest and professional standards across accountability/ethics officers.

Commissions of inquiry as vectors for change in public sector ethics: A few thoughts for further research

AbstractThis article addresses the question whether public commissions of inquiry have the potential for driving constructive change in ethical behaviour within the public sector. It suggests two hypotheses. One is that the climate of discussion that often accompanies commissions of inquiry, and the systemic approaches that commissions are encouraged to take in their recommendations, negatively affect the receptiveness of public sector members to change in matters of ethics. The other hypothesis is that highly politicized commissions create a dynamic that may press governments to take courses of action that may not be conducive to constructive change in public sector ethics.

Independence and accountability in public and private governance

AbstractWhile it is often claimed that the efficacy of accountability officers depends on their independence, the issue of “independence” is fraught with ambiguity: who needs to be independent from whom? This article considers the relationship between independence and accountability from both public and private legal perspectives. We identify three areas for improvement in public sector ethics. First, avenues for civil recovery following misconduct by public officials should be explored. Second, accountability offices should encourage whistleblowing as a means to bring potentially significant cases forward. Third, the tenets underpinning the usefulness of independent directors on corporate boards should be used to assist in defining the role of accountability officers.

Guest editors' introduction to the special issue on public sector ethics

Canadian Public AdministrationVolume 61, Issue S1 p. 4-14 Introduction Guest editors' introduction to the special issue on public sector ethics Anita Anand, Anita AnandSearch for more papers by this authorLorne Sossin, Lorne SossinSearch for more papers by this author Anita Anand, Anita AnandSearch for more papers by this authorLorne Sossin, Lorne SossinSearch for more papers by this author First published: 02 May 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/capa.12269Citations: 1Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume61, IssueS1Special Issue: Public Sector EthicsMay 2018Pages 4-14 RelatedInformation

Institutionalization of Ethical Principles to Overcome Ethical Dilemmas in the Public Sector

Discussions on public sector ethics essentially cover three main issues. First, how to establish a theoretical argument capable of providing answers to queries about what is considered an ethical and unethical conducts in public sector management. Second, how to develop ethical instruments and standards capable of helping resolve ethical dilemmas that commonly occur in the public sector. Third, how to institutionalize ethical principles and instruments developed in public institutions. Both theoretical studies and empirical experiences indicate that the essence of the various forms of a dilemma in the public sector is the conflict between personal virtue and public virtue. These ethical dilemmas may be subdued by institutionalizing ethical principles in public institutions, and it basically involves two substantial activities, namely integration, and revitalization of ethical principles in public institutions. These ethical principles should be integrated within a system of conducts covering standard values and norms that serve as a reference in conducting oneself and in minimizing unethical conducts and in preventing maladministration in public sector management. Legal instruments remain necessary in order to ensure the effectiveness of ethical principles as a code of conduct for government personnel to carry out their tasks and functions. Of no less importance is the effort to improve leadership that highly reveres ethical principles in the public bureaucracy.

Responsibility in Public Administration Ethics

The principle that public administrators act in a responsible manner has been fundamental to the development of the field of public administration as a profession and scholarly discipline since its inception. Administrative responsibility is seen as the glue that connects administrative ethics to the more general questions regarding the proper role and behavior of unelected officials in a democratic system. In the past two decades, explicit and implicit considerations of responsibility continue to be significant factors in the continuing evolution of public sector ethics, thereby providing a normative and descriptive base upon which more specific topics, such as corruption, integrity of governance, public values, and social equity, can be examined in a balanced manner.

Ethics and public integrity in space exploration

This paper discusses the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) work to support ethics and public integrity in human space exploration. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to protect an organization's reputation has become widespread in the private sector. Government ethics law and practice is integral to a government entity's ERM by managing public sector reputational risk. This activity has also increased on the international plane, as seen by the growth of ethics offices in UN organizations and public international financial institutions. Included in this area are assessments to ensure that public office is not used for private gain, and that external entities are not given inappropriate preferential treatment. NASA has applied rules supporting these precepts to its crew since NASA's inception. The increased focus on public sector ethics principles for human activity in space is important because of the international character of contemporary space exploration. This was anticipated by the 1998 Intergovernmental Agreement for the International Space Station (ISS), which requires a Code of Conduct for the Space Station Crew. Negotiations among the ISS Partners established agreed-upon ethics principles, now codified for the United States in regulations at 14 C.F.R. § 1214.403. Understanding these ethics precepts in an international context requires cross-cultural dialogue. Given NASA's long spaceflight experience, a valuable part of this dialogue is understanding NASA's implementation of these requirements. Accordingly, this paper will explain how NASA addresses these and related issues, including for human spaceflight and crew, as well as the development of U.S. Government ethics law which NASA follows as a U.S. federal agency. Interpreting how the U.S. experience relates constructively to international application involves parsing out which dimensions relate to government ethics requirements that the international partners have integrated into the ISS Crew Code of Conduct, and which relate to other areas of U.S. administrative law. It is also constructive to identify areas where national and/or cultural perspectives may differ. Another reason for heightened focus on ethics is the increasing regularity of long duration human spaceflight. In earlier days of spaceflight astronauts had little time for anything other than mission operations. The increase in inflight personal time and opportunity for personal communications heightens the importance to spacefaring nations of advising on ethics obligations in real time. Through individual and collective action, stakeholders in evolving and future government space exploration will be able to effectively address ethics compliance and reputational risk.

Global leverage adjustments, uncertainty, and country institutional strength

Abstract Using a broad range of uncertainty measures, we show that uncertainty dramatically slows down firms’ adjustments toward their optimal capital structure. At the upper bound, the estimated speed of leverage adjustments almost halves when uncertainty is high. High quality institutions (common law legal origin, more disclosure to congress and/or to the public, and higher public sector ethics) and presidential political systems offset some of the adverse effects of uncertainty on leverage adjustments. The financial crisis has altered the relationships among uncertainty, adjustment speeds, and a country's institutions; more so for countries with weak institutions and parliamentary systems.

Global Leverage Adjustments, Uncertainty, and Country Institutional Strength

Using a broad range of uncertainty measures, we show that uncertainty dramatically slows down firms’ adjustments toward their optimal capital structure. At the upper bound, the estimated speed of leverage adjustments almost halves when uncertainty is high. High quality institutions (common law legal origin, more disclosure to congress and/or to the public, and higher public sector ethics) and presidential political systems offset some of the adverse effects of uncertainty on leverage adjustments. The financial crisis has altered the relationships among uncertainty, adjustment speeds, and a country’s institutions; more so for countries with weak institutions and parliamentary systems.

The Ambiguous Meaning of the Ethical Issue in a Context of NPM Reforms: Insights from the OECD, Canada and France

AbstractAn important interest in public-administration ethics has been expressed in OECD member states since the 1990s in reaction to the development of New Public Management (NPM) reforms. However, the meanings attached to the ethical issue in a context of managerial modernization remain ambiguous depending on the country and / or time period studied. Therefore, this article aims at underlining the main characteristics of administrative ethics thanks to the creation of a theoretical concept which summarizes them. The latter can also serve as an analytical grid to engage in further research and especially comparisons between varying national cases.For that purpose, the analysis is divided in two parts and draws insights from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Canada and France, through a review of major official reports and a series of interviews with public officials and experts in charge of these questions. First of all, it concentrates on the OECD’s historical activities on public-sector ethics in order to devise a theoretical concept of administrative ethics. The utility and relevance of this concept is then tested while being implemented to compare the Canadian and French governments’ overall interest in ethics in their process of public-management reform.The article distinguishes two key dimensions of public-administration ethics, namely the managerial and normative ones, which are strongly intertwined. On the one hand, the managerial dimension focuses on the management of civil servants’ daily behaviors and combines the compliance-based and integrity-based approaches to govern conducts in public administration. On the other hand, the normative dimension refers to the normative framework incorporating the core principles and values which define civil servants’ professional identities and guide their specific missions and goals within the democratic system.The historical comparison of major trends in terms of administrative ethics in Canada and France shows, finally, that, despite national characteristics, the two countries have tended progressively to deal with the ethical issue in a more comprehensive way. They are trying to take into account, for example, problems due to conflicts of public values and combine compliance-based and integrity-based instruments of ethics management. These evolutions shed light more generally on the movement of hybridization, incorporating elements from traditional public administration and New Public Management, which seems to develop in both states.

‘Strong Personalities’ and ‘Strong Institutions’ Mediated by a ‘Strong Third Force’: Thinking ‘Systems’ in Corruption Control

Corruption in public sector is a complex, ‘messy’ and ‘fuzzy’ phenomenon which involves calculus machinations between actors and constantly growing in sophistication. Consequently, an attempt to prevent, control or fight it requires systems thinking that ranges from public officials with integrity and personal ethics [strong personalities]; administrative rules and procedures as well as governments adopting, enforcing and monitoring appropriate systems [strong institutions]. This paper provides a systems approach to enhancing public sector ethics through ‘a corruption control tripod’ in preventing, controlling and combating corruption in all its forms. This framework discusses three overarching pillars and argues that adopting a reductionist approach in corruption control would yield futility; there is a need for synthesis so that each one would reinforce the other.

Managing Ethics in Public Sector: Integrity Approaches

There are two main approaches of ethics, integrity and compliance approach, applying in public administration. In this paper, I would like to study specifically about integrity approach, focusing on ethics education and training and ethical models. Methodology used in the study is a documentary research. The finding might be help public officials in decision-making when they have to encounter some ethical dilemmas in public administration. Integrity and compliance can be perceived as a soft and a hard approach, respectively. An integrity approach uses internal controls and a compliance approach uses external controls in order to operate as an ethical organization. The integrity approach is assumed to be more effective. This paper has focused on the integrity approach to organizational ethics, therefore describing its orientation and components. Moreover, it clarified the way of implementing this approach within an organization. Ethics education and training programs, which are embedded in an integrity approach, are cognitive programs in ethical decision-making. Ethical models studying in this paper; Ethics Triangle Model, Ethical Decision-making Model, Ethical Problem solving Model, and Moral Development Model; can be used to help individuals and groups of individuals in organizations to analyze ethical dilemmas they are faced with in daily practice. These models, consequently, are considered as effective means for enhancing decision-making of public officials.

Ethics Management in Public Sector – Background and Tools

Abstract The article presents the conceptual background debated in the professional literature related to ethics management in general and also in particular, in the public sector. Works in this area present the concepts, the general theories, the problems and instruments we can use in a managerial activity. This paper tries to extrapolate these general data to the public sector in a country. The main purpose of the study is to identify those specific instruments that can be implemented successfully in public institutions, in correlation with specific ethical problems we find there. Sources of evidence include valuable works of specialists and studies conducted and focused on ethics in public sector. The main argument of our research is based on the fact that some theories, concepts or instruments are too general, needing a customization for the public sector, especially for those countries where corruption and unethical behaviors are at a high level. Conclusions of the paper refer to the applicability of various instruments of ethics management in the public sector, proving also a strong connection between ethics and competitiveness and in consequence, between ethics and investments. The results and conclusions are focused on the main areas of public sector from countries where corruption and lack of ethics is a real problem.

The rights and wrongs of robotics: Ethics and robots in public organizations

AbstractSome electronics experts believe that robots, like present‐day computers, will be commonplace. A diverse assortment of robots, with varying purposes, capacities, forms, and sizes, is emerging with significant implications for the policy, service and regulatory responsibilities of government. This paper explores three public policy fields – aging, health care and defence – where the use of robotics is already substantial or where it is projected to grow substantially and where significant ethical issues exist or are anticipated. Applying ethical theories to the use of robotics is difficult. In the near‐term, the focus should be on the ethical standards and behaviour of those designing, manufacturing, programming and operating robots. Several key topics in contemporary public sector ethics, including personal moral responsibility, privacy and accountability, are central to the emerging field of robot ethics. This suggests developing an ethics regime for robotics and examining the need for laws and regulations governing its use.

Understanding Public Sector Ethics: Beyond Agency Theory in Canada's Sponsorship Scandal

ABSTRACT Public sector ethics is a topic of ongoing concern in developed democracies. The most popular theoretical approach to this issue is found in principal–agent theory literature. This approach assumes that public sector organizations are populated by principals and agents, each of whom pursue their own self-interest, with agents having a persistent informational advantage. A second approach to ethical conflicts focuses on cognitive processes. According to cognitive theory, all decision makers are vulnerable to “ethical numbing,” particularly in organizational settings that condone the substitution of personal agendas for organizational goals. We argue that Canada's sponsorship scandal has been interpreted almost exclusively from a principal–agent perspective, with subsequent reforms firmly based on introducing new rules to oblige agents to advance the interests of principals. While more faithful adherence to established rules by agents would have avoided a scandal, such adherence is unlikely to be achieved through incentives, monitoring, and penalties as suggested by principal–agent theory. The policy message contained in and implied by the cognitive framework suggests that the focus must be on creating an organizational learning environment that discourages responsible public officials from reframing decision situations in a manner that allows them to become morally disengaged.