You are here
Albert Hirschman on Conflicts Between the Private and the Public
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
Robert Wechsler
I recently read a fascinating classic study by Albert O. Hirschman (Institute of Advanced Study)
called Shifting Involvements: Private Interest
and Public Action (1982). This book focuses on the various
tensions between private consumption and public action. It only touches
on government ethics issues, but what Hirschman says is worth sharing.
For example:
Hirschman also provides an interesting point of view of corruption:
It is worth remembering how unusual our political culture is, especially in historical terms. Government ethics is an aspiration that, like democracy itself, goes against historical precedent, if not human nature. But, of course, it is human nature to rise above what is referred to as human nature.
Finally, Hirschman powerfully defines the problem with appearances of impropriety:
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics
---
Action in the public interest is
thought of as
being confused with idealism, with dedication to a cause, if not with
sacrifice
for the common good. How surprising it
is then to discover ... that political activity often involves one in a
very
different set of activities: the making of strange alliances, the
concealment
of one's real objectives, and the betrayal of yesterday's friends --
all of
this of course for the sake of the goal. ... In the process he may well
violate the prevailing ethical code to a
far greater extent than he ever dreamt of doing when he was merely
pursuing his
own personal gain in private consumption goals.
This experience can of course be so dismaying and so contrary to
original expectations as to produce an immediate withdrawal from public
life. But the opposite reaction is also
possible and perhaps more common: a heady feeling of excitement
is generated
when the consciousness of selflessly acting for the public good is
combined
with the sensation of being free to overstep the traditional boundaries
of
moral conduct, a sensation that is closely related to that of power.
Hirschman also provides an interesting point of view of corruption:
Take a person who has been heavily
involved in public affairs and, as a
result, holds some public office, but has now become disappointed for
one
reason or another; one way in which he can respond to his new set of
private
versus public preferences is by taking a bribe.
What has been called the "unblushing confusion of the business of
government with the promotion of private fortune" often occurs after
the first
flush of enthusiasm for public service has given way to a more
jaundiced
assessment of the prospects for improvements in the public happiness.
... [C]orruption becomes a determinant of further,
more profound disaffection, which in turn sets the stage for more
corruption. ... This cumulative dynamic ... thrives particularly in an
ideological ambience
where the private and the public spheres have come to be sensed as
strictly separate
and even opposite, so that any blurring of the confines seems
incongruous or
immoral. ... The unblushing confusion of the public and private spheres
... prevailed in most countries up to the nineteenth century and is
still today in evidence
over broad areas of the globe. There was
in fact a long period during which the only, or the most expeditious,
road to
wealth was by way of political power and public office.
It is worth remembering how unusual our political culture is, especially in historical terms. Government ethics is an aspiration that, like democracy itself, goes against historical precedent, if not human nature. But, of course, it is human nature to rise above what is referred to as human nature.
Finally, Hirschman powerfully defines the problem with appearances of impropriety:
The public mode does not tolerate any
admixture
of the private: probably because it is always under the suspicion
of being
really self-serving, the appearance of any explicit private objective
in
addition to the public one will serve to annihilate the credibility of
the
latter.
Robert WechslerDirector of Research-Retired, City Ethics
---
Story Topics:
- Robert Wechsler's blog
- Log in or register to post comments
Comments
Visitor (not verified) says:
Thu, 2009-06-18 16:39
Permalink
The blend of public and private interests is alive & well in the US, especially at the level of local government.