Professional Codes of Ethics for Public Administrators: What Are They Really Telling Us?
Published In
Public Integrity
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
2-22-2023
Abstract
Professional codes of ethics are widely regarded as an authority for public administrators as they navigate ethical decision-making. Despite this importance, the codes themselves have not been evaluated for the tensions that may exist amongst different codes of ethics documents. Through a conventional content analysis of seven codes of ethics documents, I demonstrate that there are differing conceptions of what constitutes the “public interest.” Furthermore, I show how codes of ethics documents imply different levels of expectations on individual practitioners as it pertains to personal morality. I then show how there is emphasis on what not to do and not enough emphasis on the possible and feasible ethical decisions that can be made. I conclude with a discussion that suggests future research should pay attention to the nuances behind what codes of ethics documents are really expressing while focusing on a tempered approach between reactive and unrealistically aspirational values.
Rights
Copyright 2023 American Society for Public Administration
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1080/10999922.2023.2177042
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39640
Citation Details
Diane L. Odeh (2023) Professional Codes of Ethics for Public Administrators: What Are They Really Telling Us?, Public Integrity, DOI: 10.1080/10999922.2023.2177042