Administrative ethics (when subrange of the applied ethics) can be defined as the development and implementation more correctly, well justified behavior standards in public administrations. Administrative ethics is pre-aged thereby to the concrete application of the law and acting (in) the administration in certain way.

In the German-speaking countries the term "“administrative ethics"” so far little is common. Reasons for this lie obviously in strongly to legality (and less to legitimacy) aligned the administrative culture.

For this for instance the anglo American area forms a contrast, in which "“public service ethics"” an important, for a long time discussed topic field is. This is often seen in the connection with the fact that here traditionally rather an interest in moral questions prevails as at set right.

Ethics in the administrative science

In the German-language administrative science yard masters (2000) in Switzerland as well as fist (2003) in Germany wrote the first more comprehensive papers over the topic administrative ethics.

In older (jurisprudential) literature contributions marginal note was granted to the administrative ethics at best a role: Rather one saw action need concerning constant Vermehrung and/or perfecting of legal rules. Logically the focus lay on a specification of the criminal law and Disziplinarrechts and one thereupon arranged control of the officials. Administrativeethicalally relevant facts of the German penal code are about bribery and corruptibility as well as advantage grant and advantage acceptance.

Ethical-critical reflections were regarded in contrast to this for a long time as pure threat of the predictability and reliability of public administrations. The ideal of the German tenured civil servant becomes by means of "§"§ 52 FF. Federal official law rather toward bearing seeds, self-sacrificing and devoted subjects of its service gentleman guided. To that extent occasionally the Remonstration stated as counterargument is able to change few in this estimate: It fristet in the administrative practice if necessary a shade existence - above all because remonstrierende officials have to very often be afraid (in) formal sanctions.

More current (organization-psychological) contributions argue meanwhile more differentiated: It is insufficient to claim from the individual alone the adherence to "“hard"” legal adjustments (Compliance). Rather also group-related played and "“yield"” phenomena in this connection an important role. Behavior-scientific studies show the necessity for the up and/or development intrinsischer motivation, in order to embody the integrity of public administrations lastingly.

Up-to-date is besides (politics) the scientific discussion around Governance and/or Good Governance obviously concerning administrativeethical questions in considerable measure connectionable. It shows in particular that ethics-conscious change is not alone the task of the public administration, but that rather also external participants (e.g. from the range of the civil company) have to contribute their part to an administrativeethical total concept.

The past ethics discourse makes clear not least also that the general change of value conceptions plays a central role. In the administrative science thus ever more frequently the relationship analyzed between

• "“classical"” achievements (e.g. official secret, equal treatment, justice) and
• "“new"” values and postulates as for instance administrative transparency, effectiveness and efficiency.

see also: New Public management, Kommunitarismus, Public management, bureaucracy, max of webers

Ethics in the administrative practice

In recent time however also the German administrative practice is concerned increasingly with ethical questions. Causes for this are to be seen particularly in the following - itself partly overlapping - problem areas:

• Cases of uncovered corruption and nepotism in undreamt-of extent (for instance in procurement/building authorities as well as in the health service)
• The "“correct"” party book a role often plays dubiously appearing filling of vacancies of (guidance) positions in the administration, with those
• Increasing (active and passive) Sponsoring of public administrations, with which dangers of private--self-interested influencing controls from the hand to are not to be pointed
• Doubtful practices at university and research establishments, against principles of good science offend (e.g. manipulation of statistic data)
• Part-time works of officials, with whom the public interest can be unfavorably affected
• Rapid administrative reforms, decentralizations and privatisations, which can bring extended scope for discretion, interest conflicts and incomplete controls with itself
• Ethicalally doubtful application of physical and/or psychological force (e.g. with police and German Federal Armed Forces)

The material and immaterial damage from ethics scandals is immense; their extent extracts itself - because of the enormously high dark number - from each respectablly founded estimation. Ever more is brought up for discussion in this connection also the progrediente loss at confidence into the public administration.

The critical public is after all appearance however less and less ready, these eclats humor-industrial union-shoulder-twitching as and/or abzutun: Civilian-social participants and Nichtregierungsorganisationen (e.g. Transparency international, TI) are formed for some time, who exert increasing pressure on politics and administration to take care of ethical problem fields lastingly. In this connection the Corruption Perceptions index (CPI), published annually by TI, experiences a considerable measure of public resonance.

In addition, international politics policies (e.g. European union) as well as think tanks (e.g. Bertelsmann donation) affect strengthened national Entscheider to intensify the considerations to an explicit administrative ethics. With internationally comparing studies it turned out that administrativeethical concepts depend strongly on on the right of and administrative tradition of the respective state: They are on the one hand rather a component - to a large extent invisible - of the organization culture, or they are embodied on the other hand rather in - explicit - standards and rules.

see also: Lobbyism, Public private Partnership, corruption in the European Union, Mobbing

Strategic integrity management

Administrativeethical problem situations reveal thus an abundance more complex, deeply more seizing, often culturally conditioned phenomena. Ever more therefore becomes generally accepted the realization that these are to be worked on only by means of an holistic beginning: Exclusively for the virtue of individual persons to hope, seizes regularly too briefly; it would be just as missed in addition, to only concentrate on the institution-ethical arrangement of the basic conditions.

Concrete questions in the context of a practice-oriented administrative ethics are about:

• How can increased transparency and intensified participation of the citizen be made possible (e.g. by an information liberty In what respect do questions of the data security stand hereby in the
• How is that to be estimated increasingly arising phenomenon
• To what extent can that work Internet integrity-promoting (e.g. by E-Government with order printing/assignment, referring to failure via
• Is it meaningful, if administrations - approximately for selection of suppliers - to rate pull a black one and/or a white one
• Which possibilities offer the organizational development and the personnel development (e.g. by job rotation, systematic suitability diagnostics with filling of
• In what respect are monetary incentives and/or sanctions
• How does an ethics-oriented example for public administrations
• What can "“classical"” supervision and control instances (e.g. internal revision, audit office)
• Which role can close up a Ombudsman and/or an ethics
• And not least: To what extent does the danger exist to do "“too much the good one"” in public

see also: Reputation, integrity, uninformativeness, Mediation, conflict management, civil courage

Literature

• Ahlf, seriousness Heinrich (2003): Organization ethics in the police: Consequences for guidance and responsibility, in: Schielke, Heinrich (Hrsg.), honour gift for Leo shoemaker for separating from the Federal Criminal Investigation Office, P. 1-24, Munich/Neuwied. ISBN 3-472-05383-6
• Behnke, Nathalie (2004): Ethics in politics and administration, Baden-Baden. ISBN 3-8329-0953-2
• Fist, Thomas (2003): Organization culture and ethics: Perspectives for public administrations, Berlin. ISBN 3-86504-032-2
• Yard master, Albert (Hrsg.) (2000): Do we need a new ethics in the , Berne. ISBN 3-908128-40-4
• Maravic, Patrick of, Christoph realm pool of broadcasting corporations (Hrsg.) (2005): Ethics, integrity and corruption - new challenges in the changing public , Potsdam. ISBN 3-937786-57-0

Articles in category "Administrative ethics"

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