Grappling with ethical issues is a daily challenge for those working in organizations that deliver public services. Such services are delivered through an often bewildering range of agencies and amidst this constant change, there are fears that a public service ethos, a tradition of working in the public interest, becomes blurred. Using extensive vignettes and case studies, Ethics and Management in the Public Sector illuminates the practical decisions made by public officials. The book takes a universal approach to ethics reflecting the world-wide impact of public service reforms and also includes discussions on how these reforms impact traditional vales and principles of public services. This easy-to-use textbook is a definitive guide for postgraduate students of public sector ethics, as well as students of public management and administration more generally.

Public services are delivered through an often bewildering range of agencies and amidst this constant change, there are fears that a public service ethos, a tradition of working in the public interest, becomes blurred. This book covers important themes reflecting current thinking and illuminates the practical decisions made by public officials. Replete with international case studies and vignettes, this easy-to-use textbook is a definitive guide for postgraduate students of public sector ethics, as well as students of public management and administration more generally.

Ethics and accountability have become important themes for modern government, as in most of the countries there is a severe crisis of legitimacy. Increasingly there is a feeling that performance management alone will not solve this crisis. Citizens also expect from politicians and public servants ethical responsible conduct. As to the ethics, however, there is a problem. Governance and new public management have raised new problems which cannot be solved by referring to the traditional bureaucratic ethics. Devolution and decentralisation processes have enhanced the responsibility of public servants. The increase of transparency and openness and the service orientation of public organisations have challenged the traditional values of discretion and equality before the rule. The growing interaction between the public and the private sector have raised the question of integrity. In light of these developments, it is important to update the ethical system, or reversibly, the traditional values of the public service can question some actual evolutions in government.

Sets the agenda for a decade's worth of research in the theory and practice of ethics in the public sector. This volume represents research on administrative ethics and features contributions by many of the leading figures in the field, and addresses both the managerial and individual/moral dimensions of ethical behavior.

In a down-to-earth review of the often-contentious subject of ethics, Public Sector Ethics: Theory and Applications presents personal accounts of individuals who faced moral dilemmas and how they resolved them. It moves the study of ethics away from a box checking exercise of what to do/not to do to a discussion that creates understanding of existe

Sheldon S. Steinberg and David T. Austern focus on the ethical and unethical behavior of elected and appointed government officials. The authors discuss the various types of ethical dilemmas that confront public sector managers, offer ways to analyze them, and describe management strategies designed to prevent unethical behavior. A series of ethical dilemmas which force the reader to examine his or her own ethical standards is followed by answers to the dilemmas which emphasize the importance of ethical choices. The authors also suggest ways to identify the susceptibility to corruption of a jurisdiction and present model policies, procedures, and legislation which could be effective in reducing the opportunity for unethical behavior. Steinberg and Austern begin by looking at the ethical dilemmas commonly faced by public officials and exploring the motivations for unethical practices. They then examine the costs of unethical behavior and profile three types of government practitioners: the corrupter, the functionary, and the ethicist. The remaining chapters address the use of investigation and management control to encourage ethical practices in public sector management. The authors discuss methods to ensure financial integrity, monitor ethical practices, and comply with ethical rules; emphasize the importance of investigation by management outside of law enforcement activities; and demonstrate the management controls necessary to ensure the ethical practice of government. Essential reading for public sector managers at all levels of government, this book is also an ideal supplemental text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in public administration.

Public service professionals government officials, those in the legal system, first responders, and investigators confront ethical issues every day. In an environment where each decision can mean the difference between life and death or freedom and imprisonment, deciding on an ethical course of action can pose challenges to even the most season

Designed to help midlevel and senior managers in organizations dedicated to public purposes, this book provides trained self-awareness to deploy values to guide decisions and build the culture of their organizations. The book explores how all managing involves leading and identifies the levels of ethical responsibility for managerial leaders. Highlighting the fundamental role that ethics plays in organizational life, J. Patrick Dobel uses insights from cognitive and social psychology to discuss how to anticipate and address threats to integrity and value informed decision making. Building on traditional ethical theory and modern research, the book begins with the fundamental assumption that individuals possess responsibility when they act for ethical purposes and results in taking a position within a public or nonprofit organization. This assumption of responsibility recognizes the inherent discretion in all positions and claims that effective ethical management requires self-awareness, self-mastery, integrity and a working frame of one’s values and character. The book pays special attention to the challenges of integrating diverse people and perspectives in public organizations as well as attending to the slippages to integrity in organizational life and how managers and leaders can foresee and address ethical slippage and corruption. The book provides checklists and decision frameworks that individuals can adopt and deploy to guide decisions. Public Leadership Ethics: A Management Approach will help create strong value informed cultures supported by communication, transparency, incentives and strong management cadres to achieve high quality service and integrity based actions. It will be of special interest to managerial leaders in public service and teaching in public administration and policy programs or executive training.

This concise text is a reader friendly primer to the fundamentals of administrative responsibility and ethics. Your students will come away with a clear understanding of why ethics are important to administrators in governmental and non-profit organizations, and how these administrators can relate their own personal values to the norms of the public sector. Since the publication of the first edition of The Ethics Primer, there has been significant change in the climate of public affairs that impacts the discussion of ethics for those who serve the public in governmental and nonprofit organizations. The new edition reflects those changes in three major areas: • Ethics in an era of increasing tension between political leaders and administrators over the role and size of government. • Ethical choices in making fiscal cuts or imposing new taxes in the face of the greatest economic crisis since the Depression. • Ethical challenges to established practices in public organizations. The Second Edition also offers thoroughly updated data and sources throughout, as well as examples that incorporate new research and new developments in government and politics. The Second Edition of The Ethics Primer for Public Administrators in Government and Nonprofit Organizations: • Introduces readers to the fundamentals of administrative responsibility and provides comprehensive coverage of the important elements of ethics. • Features an accessible and interactive approach to maximize understanding of the subject. • Includes information on the nature of public service and the ethical expectations of public administrators, as well factors that may lead to unethical behavior. • Written from a political perspective, the book addresses questions that are highly salient to persons working in government and nonprofits. • Offers helpful ways to link ethics and management in order to strengthen the ethical climate in a public organization.

Since it was first published in 1991, The Ethics Challenge in Public Service has become a classic text used by public managers and in public management programs across the country. This second edition is filled with practical tools and techniques for making ethical choices in the ambiguous, pressured world of public service. It explores the day-to-day ethical dilemmas managers face in their work, including what to do when rules recommend one action and compassion another, and whether it is ethical to dissent from agency policy. This essential text explores managers' accountability to different stakeholders and how to balance the often competing responsibilities.