Synonyms
Laws; Principles; Standards; Values
The idea of codes is simple, but the utilization of codes in public administration is complex. A code presents a systematic set of standards to be observed. These standards may be based on law and regulations, principles, or the expectations of an organization or group. A code of ethicspresumably grounds the standards in ethical concepts rather than simple rules of right and wrong, but that is not necessarily the case. By their nature, codes make explicit what the standards are and more or less clearly link the standards to actions that a public service practitioner should take or not take. A different approach to shaping behavior and providing ethical guidance is to consider the values that should shape behavior and leave to the individual to decide what values are relevant to a situation and what kinds of actions are consistent with the values. For example, public service motivation is based on an attraction to public policy making, a...
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Svara, J.H. (2022). Code of Ethics. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66252-3_930
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