Summer Reading: The Ethics Challenge in Public Service

I recently read the latest, third edition of <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=UYhDA4h43sIC&printsec=frontcover&sourc…; target="”_blank”"><i>The
Ethics Challenge in Public Service: A Problem-Solving Guide</i></a> by
Carol W. Lewis and Stuart C. Gilman (Jossey-Bass, 2012). This is the
second most popular text used in Public Sector Ethics courses,
mostly in Public Administration programs. Most of the book deals
with issues other than conflicts of interest, but it has some
valuable things to say about the topic. I have included some of
them, including some quotations, in this post.<br>
<br>

Lewis and Gilman tie government ethics to "the tragedy of the
commons," which Wikipedia defines as "the depletion of a shared
resource by individuals, acting independently and rationally
according to each one's self-interest, despite their understanding
that depleting the common resource is contrary to the group's
long-term best interests." The authors describe it as the ability of
personal self-interest to destroy what they call the "common-pool
resources" that government is supposed to protect.<br>
<br>
This view emphasizes the problematic nature of institutional
corruption. While one official's personal interests are hardly going
to strip a community of its common resources, institutional
corruption can create an environment where a community not only
wastes a significant proportion of its resources, but also loses the
trust that holds a community together. This loss of trust can have
huge ramifications on the community, both in terms of its business prospects and in
terms of the emotional state of the people who live and work there.<br>
<br>
Too often, public administration ethicists put all the weight of
government ethics on each government official's shoulders by
focusing on ethical decision-making. Lewis and Gilman realize that
this is not sufficient. "Although self-sufficiency may be popularly
admired, it is inadequate in a head-on collision over contending
ethical values and principles." It is also inadequate when dealing
with most conflict situations.<br>
<br>
Many officials say that they can deal with such situations by using
their common sense. Lewis and Gilman recognize that this too is
insufficient:  "common sense is only as virtuous as the
decision maker's character and only as useful as the situation is
simple." What is needed is neutral advice, especially from a trained ethics adviser.<br>
<br>
Lewis and Gilman point out that an ethics code can be especially valuable to government
employees by preventing pressures on them from above. The authors write, "Clear
ethical standards give public employees more workplace self-rule by
ensuring that they know the standards to which they will be held
accountable. This limits the pressures supervisors and political
leaders can put on public employees to act in ways contrary to the
code." (p. 198)<br>
<br>
With respect to annual disclosure, Lewis and Gilman cite Supreme
Court Justice Breyer, who "commented that as much as he hated
filling out the required annual financial disclosure form, it was the
single best way he knew to remind him of his ethical obligations and
vulnerabilities." (p. 207)<br>
<br>
Lewis and Gilman recognize how important talk about ethics is, but
also how sensitive employees are to "the flow of real resources."
Employees know that priorities are set in terms of spending. When
little or no money is spent on an ethics program, this sends the
signal that it is not important. To show commitment to ethics, a
government organization needs to invest staff time and dollars, and
to build ethics into daily routines and expectations. There is an
excellent exhibit on page 259 listing 13 techniques for integrating
ethics into agency operations (<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=UYhDA4h43sIC&printsec=frontcover&sourc…; target="”_blank”">click here</a> and search
for "techniques for integrating").<br>
<br>
<b>Some Valuable Quotations</b><br>
"In its best form, [the appearance of impropriety] standard
reciprocally obligates the public to be informed." (p. 78)<br>
<br>
"An apology is a retrospective on ethics." (p. 129)<br>
<br>
"Unfortunately, most public agencies do not expend the effort to use
codes to spark an ongoing ethical dialgoue that makes raising
ethical questions in the normal course of business an everyday
occurrence." (p. 203)<br>
<br>
"A manager's treatment of subordinates sets the tone for the
organization and models appropriate behavior to subordinates." (p.
250)<br>
<br>
"It is only when a 'we-they' line is drawn around the agency, and
public employees forget that the 'we' extends to the public, that
the team ethic undercuts public service ethics." (p. 254)<br>
<br>
"[A]n ethical organization is the core of what we understand public
service to be in democracies." (p. 257)<br>
<br>
"The widespread institutionalization of the merit principle shows
that we can transform the way we do everyday business." (p. 260)<br>
<br>
"Responsible managers try to reduce temptation through routine
procedures and controls." (p. 269)<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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