PP110: Ethics and PP110: Ethics and Public AdministrationPublic Administration

FacultySheila Toppin, DPA (abd),

MPA

Welcome to the ClassWelcome to the ClassGreetingsAvailability

◦Office hours: Sunday & Tuesdays 7:00 to 9:00 pm EST (AIM ID: Sheila Toppin, by telephone)

◦Appointments: call or send an email message

Warm-up• Questions???

Course & Syllabus Course & Syllabus RemindersRemindersUnits (10 weeks), Wednesday to

TuesdayDiscussion Board – 1 to 2

discussions per Unit, Wednesday to Tuesday MST

Weekly Quizzes – Complete by Tuesday 12:00 midnight

Announcements: Informational & Reminders

Course & Syllabus Course & Syllabus RemindersRemindersLast day to request an Incomplete:

Tuesday, 12/13/11 (end of Unit 8).Last day of class: Saturday,

12/24/11.Seminar :

◦ Cap & tassel icon denotes important information for assignments & quizzes. ◦ Seminar Alternate assignments due within

1 week of missed seminar. Archive available 4 hours after seminar concludes.

Unit 8 To-Do ListUnit 8 To-Do ListReadings (E-Book Chapters & Links)Discussion Board (1 Topic)Quiz (Due end of Unit 8)Assignment (Due at end of Unit 9)(See the To-Do Checklist PDF that is

available in the classroom to keep track each Unit)

Unit 9 AssignmentUnit 9 AssignmentUnited Nations Public Administration

network http://www.unpan.org Click “News” tab and then select “Public

Administration News”Select and read one of the articles you

find there that has been submitted within the last month.

Write a 2-3 page paper responding to the questions in the assignment guidelines.

APA formattingQuestions????

Questions?Questions?Any other questions about the

syllabus?Any other questions about what

you are to do in Unit 8?Any other questions?

Unit 8 Seminar TopicsUnit 8 Seminar TopicsIdentify factors contributing to

unethical behaviorDiscuss trends and reasons for

systemic corruption Distinguish bad apples and ways for

handling themIdentify ways to avoid unethical

conductCase Study – Oaky Woods

Ethical FactorsEthical FactorsThree factors that can result in

unethical behavior in otherwise decent public administrators: Incentive, Opportunity, Risk

Incentive to gain a sizable personal benefit,

Opportunity or the ease of access to the corrupt practice, and

Low risk of detection.

Other factors to considerOther factors to considerSuccessful administrators are subject

to feeling conceit, arrogance, or moral superiority that could lead to unethical behavior.

administrators may feel that they can take advantage of the situation because they work for the government.

The false necessity gap is the sense that the organization must survive at any cost.

Other factors to considerOther factors to considerEven where, in the global context,

interdependence appears inevitable, the US is receiving a tremendous amount of criticism from abroad.

If citizens perceive themselves as customers, they are likely to continue to demand services as customers without a sense of civic responsibility to contribute to our governance system.

Questions????

Systematic CorruptionSystematic CorruptionIn 1993, 50% of federal government staff

who observed serious problems did not report them because of fear of retaliation.

In 2007, 58% of those who observed misconduct did not report because they doubted that appropriate corrective action would be taken by management; however,

30% of employees did not report because they feared retaliation from management.

Systemic CorruptionSystemic CorruptionProspective whistleblowers are

intimidated into silence.Non-violators are penalized by

foregoing the rewards of the violators.Internal practices may encourage and

hide violations.The system of internal practices

contradicts the code of ethics of the organization.

Questions????

Bad ApplesBad ApplesThe “bad apple” public administrators

have no or low ethics, use or misuse information to advance their personal purposes, evade responsibility, and/or have a negative effect on the people and the organization they are supposed to be serving.

The sense of duty is absent, and the other approaches to ethical thinking are missing or distorted.

Bad ApplesBad ApplesPublic administrators may justify their

unethical behavior as being “good for the organization” overall (does the ends justify the means) and whether a “little white lie” should be allowed or not in public administration.

Circumstances beyond the control of the public administrator may put pressure on him/her to choose unethical behavior that he/she normally would not chose.

Handling the Bad AppleHandling the Bad AppleSeparate the bad apples from the

apples that just need a little direction. The cost of untruths to an organization

can be huge in terms of time, money, trust, and reputation.

Leaders can not fix a thief, a pathological liar, or a professional con artist—all of them must go, immediately.

Avoiding Unethical Avoiding Unethical BehaviorBehaviorIn order for a public administrator to

recognize that he/she is in a problematic situation he/she needs a high level of ethical awareness.

West and Berman (2004) four areas critical for avoidance of unethical behavior: ◦ Strong moral leadership by top managers ◦ Monitoring adherence to a code of ethics ◦ Examining ethics in hiring and promotion◦ Applications-oriented ethics training

Questions????

Case Study: Oaky Woods Case Study: Oaky Woods PurchasePurchasePerdue appoints DNR board replacement for

Oaky Woods purchase critic (Salzer 2010)http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia_elections_news/2010/12/30/

perdue-appoints-dnr-board-replacement-for-oaky-woods-purchase-critic/

1.Did former Governor Purdue cross any ethical boundaries? (Ethical Problem Solving Model)

2.What was the incentive, opportunity, and risk level?

3.What strategies should be applied to avoid this unethical conduct in the future?

Unit 8 Seminar SummaryUnit 8 Seminar SummaryIdentified factors contributing to unethical

behaviorDiscussed trends and reasons for

systemic corruption Distinguished bad apples and ways for

handling themIdentified ways to avoid unethical conductCase Study – Oaky WoodsFinal Questions???Dismissal