Public Service Ethics

James S. Bowman is a professor of public administration at the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University. Noted for this work in ethics and human resource management, Dr. Bowman is author of over 100 journal articles and book chapters, as well as editor of six anthologies. He is co-author of The Professional Edge: Competencies in Public Service (2nd ed., Sharpe, 2010) and Public Service Ethics: Individual and Institutional Responsibilities (CQ Press, 2015). For nearly two decades, he served as editor-in-chief of Public Integrity, a journal owned by the American Society for Public Administration. A past National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration Fellow, as well as a Kellogg Foundation Fellow, he has experience in the military, civil service, and business.Jonathan P. West is a professor and chair of political science and director of the graduate public administration program at the University of Miami. His research interests include ethics, public administration, and human resource management. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as nine books. He is co-author of Public Service Ethics: Individual and Institutional Perspectives (CQ Press, 2015) American Politics and the Environment (2nd. Ed., SUNY Press, 2015) and The Professional Edge: Competencies in Public Service (2nd ed., Sharpe, 2010.) For nearly two decades he has been managing editor of the  Public Integrity journal. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army as a management analyst in the Office of the Surgeon General.

• List of Tables, Figures, and ExhibitsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsI. Foundations of Public Service Ethics1. Pertinence, Practicality, and PoppycockPertinence: Reasons to Study EthicsPracticality: Commitment as a Privilege and ObligationPoppycock: Myths About EthicsConclusionAppendix 1.1 Personal Checklist2. Perspectives on Ethics: Macro, Meso, MicroLevels of AnalysisContemporary Research on Levels of EthicsMeso Level of Analysis: The OrganizationMicro Level of Analysis: The IndividualFactors Influencing Meso-Micro EthicsConclusionCase Study 2.1 The Pennsylvania State University Athletic Sex Abuse Scandal3. Values, Ethics, and DilemmasDefining ValuesApplying Values in Public ServiceDefining EthicsDomains of Human Action: Law vs. Free ChoiceCase Study 3.1 Challenge the LeaderSocial Forces Endangering EthicsCase Study 3.2 Value Conflicts in World AffairsConclusionII. Individual-Centered Approaches to Ethics4. Moral Development TheoryKohlberg’s Moral Development Theory: A Rational ApproachCase Study 4.1 Applying Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral DevelopmentMilgram’s Shock and Zimbardo’s Prison Experiments: Ethics Under PressureHaidt’s Social Intuitionalist ApproachConclusion5. Cognitive Ethics Methods: Result and Rule Problem-Solving ApproachesApproaches to EthicsA Five-Stage Method for Analyzing Ethical IssuesMoral CourageCase Study 5.1 Applying the Kew Gardens PrinciplesApplying the Five-stage Method: A Personal and Professional ConflictConclusionAppendix 5.1 Sensitivity-Intensity Matrix ApproachAppendix 5.2 The Ethical Principles ApproachCase Study 5.2 Applying the Ethical Principles Approach: Playing Poker With a VendorAppendix 5.3 Line DrawingCase Study 5.3 Applying the Line Drawing Method: A Questionable Gift6. Virtue TheoryComparing Cognitive and Virtue EthicsThe Vocabulary of VirtueHabituation: The Formation of CharacterVirtue Theory Strengths and WeaknessesCase Study 6.1 Applying Rion’s Ethical Decision-Making Framework: Probing the ConscienceUtility of Virtue Ethics for Managers: Challenge and ResponseConclusion7. Conscious Deliberation and Subconscious Action: The Dishonesty of Honest PeopleResults, Rule, Virtue: Decision Making With the Ethics TriadUtilizing the Ethics TriadCase Study 7.1 The Ethics Triad: Applying the Rational Approach to a Birthday InvitationBehavioral Ethics: What People Do vs. What They Say They DoConclusionAppendix 7.1 Critiquing Student Case AnalysesIII. Institutional Approaches to Ethics8. Organizational EthicsTypes of Organizational StrategiesEthical Infrastructure: Building Blocks in Ethics ManagementCase Study 8.1 Applying Philosophical and Behavioral Ethics Approaches: To Follow or Not to Follow Government Hiring PolicyOrganizational StructureValues StatementsPsychological ContractsOaths and CodesInstitutionalizing Ethics Cultural CompetencyConclusion9. Corruption ControlScope and Magnitude of Corruption TodayDefining CorruptionCauses of Corruption and Evolution of Anticorruption StrategiesIndividual and Institutional Moral FailureScandals: Types and ImpactsAvenues for ReformCase Study 9.1 Applying Philosophical and Behavioral Ethics Approaches: Public to Private Employment on Similar WorkConclusion10. Whistleblowing in OrganizationsSignificance of WhistleblowingCase Study 10.1 Problem Solver or Trouble Maker?Whistleblower LawsCase Study 10.2 Applying Rational and Behavioral Ethics Approaches: Cooking the BooksDissent in OrganizationsCase Study 10.3 The Silent WhistleCase Study 10.4 Successful WhistleblowingTrends in Blowing the WhistleConclusionIV. Issues in Public Service Ethics11. Ethics and Elected OfficialsCase Study 11.1 Congressional Conflict of InterestCase Study 11.2 Congressional Insider TradingEthics and Legislative Decision MakingCase Study 11.3 Robert Torricelli and the CIAThe Influence of Character and Roles on Elected OfficialsPolarization of Politics and Ethical ImplicationsNegative CampaigningThe Problem of Dirty HandsCase Study 11.4 Applying Philosophical and Behavioral Ethics Approaches: Interrogation MethodsPresidents and TruthfulnessThe Influence of Citizens and the Media on PoliticiansCase Study 11.5 Applying Philosophical and Behavioral Ethics Approaches: A Transgender City ManagerConclusionAppendix 11.1 Ethics Committees12. Organizational Gaming and Performance MeasurementDuplicity PressuresCase Study 12.1 Organizational Cheating in EducationTypes of GamingCheating, Politicians, and Public OpinionEthically Evaluating and Minimizing CheatingCase Study 12.2 Applying Philosophical and Behavioral Ethics Approaches: Electronic Surveillance in the WorkplaceConclusion13. At-Will EmploymentThe Employment At-Will DoctrineApplying the Ethics Triad to At-Will EmploymentSummary and Conclusion14. Open Government Case Study: Pay DisclosureTrends and Tensions in Open GovernmentBackground: Increasing Demand for TransparencyApplying the Ethics Triad to Pay DisclosureSummaryConclusion: Implementing Balance in Transparency PolicyV. Future History15. Choices and Strategies for the Years AheadMoral GrandeurMoral DecayNew ChallengesGuidelines for Ethical ConductCase Study 15.1 Applying Rational and Philosophical Ethics Approaches: Drones in Domestic Law EnforcementAppendix 15.1 Sample Graduate Student Action PlanIndex

Public Service Ethics: Individual and Institutional Responsibilities is superior to other ethics texts I’ve used -- I was hooked from the opening pages. Bowman and West do an admirable job of both building a coherent picture of ethical public management and providing students with a robust toolkit for making ethical decisions in a variety of settings. The authors thoroughly cover the essential topics and problems in public service ethics, and bring the theories and techniques of ethical management into sharp focus through compelling practical examples. Students  are given ample opportunities to apply concepts and lessons from the text through a variety of well-developed exercises; case studies that illustrate real ethical problems confronting public managers bring the book’s material to life. With its rich substantive content, current examples, and lively writing, this text is a compelling read and a welcome new development for public service ethics.