tailieunhanh - Handbook of Administrative Ethics_2

Delineating implications for administrative ethics from other fields such as sociology, psychology, and philosophy, this reference provides a comprehensive review of administrative ethics in the public sector. Detailing the context within which contemporary ethics training has developed, the book examines the effectiveness of ethics training, legal and organizational devices for encouraging desired conduct, and other topics of particular relevance to the political and social contexts of public administration. Written by over 25 leading scholars in public administration ethics, the book creates a taxonomy for administrative ethics using the categories of modern philosophy | 18 Federal Ethics Management and Public Trust Robert Roberts James Madison University Harrisonburg Virginia From the colonial period of American history through today the problem of maintaining public trust in federal government agencies has confronted the nation Locke 1995 1424 . Despite some extremely bleak periods Summers 1993 the last forty years has seen federal agencies and departments make considerable progress in the development of ethics programs designed to protect public trust in government. The chapter argues that the executive branch ethics program deserves much of the credit for the improved ethical climate in federal agencies and departments. The federal executive branch ethics management program has proven exceptionally effective in reducing the frequency of conflict-of-interest controversies involving federal employees and officials. Interestingly public administration ethics scholars have not welcomed the evolution of public ethics codes and conflict-of-interest focused public ethics programs. They criticize public ethics codes for typically dealing with only a limited number of ethical issues where a financial conflict-of-interest raises questions regarding the ability of a public official or employee to perform their public duties in an impartial manner. In contrast many public ethics scholars argue that public ethics programs should focus their efforts on persuading public managers to weigh the ethics of the programs and policies they set in motion Cohen and Eimicke 1995 107 . The sharp difference of opinion over the usefulness of public ethics codes has complicated the process of reaching a consensus over the best strategy for protecting public confidence in public institutions. An objective analysis of public ethics codes and ethics programs that focus upon the ethical implications of public policy decisions provide strong evidence that both types of ethics programs help public employees and officials to resolve ethical problems directly .